


The Twenty-Fourth Year

by bluetoast



Series: Angels and Ministers of Grace [20]
Category: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Airplane Crashes, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Farm/Ranch, Awesome Padmé Amidala, BAMF Rey, Background Relationships, Badass Phasma, Ben Solo Needs A Hug, Bipolar Disorder, Depression, Emotional Abuse, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/F, F/M, Family, Family Issues, Grief/Mourning, Han Solo's A+ Parenting, Holidays, Implied/Referenced Drug Addiction, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Luke is a good bro, M/M, Moving, Near Death Experiences, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Panic Attacks, Psychological Trauma, Rey Kenobi, Rey Needs A Hug, Starting Over, manic depression, putting things back together, therapy animals, weather is a plot point
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-16
Updated: 2018-01-01
Packaged: 2018-09-09 01:27:18
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 28
Words: 146,929
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8870440
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bluetoast/pseuds/bluetoast
Summary: While no one in the family would ever admit to it, or state that it was merely a coincidence, if you're a Skywalker, expect a dramatic twenty-third year. Ben Organa-Solo was no exception. One might argue that it was the year that was nothing but extremes for him. But then there was that other truth in their family; you never know what your twenty-fourth year will bring.





	1. Prologue

It had been a year of contradictions for Ben. It started off, much as his twenty-second and twenty-first years had. He had taken his grandma to O'Hare airport, waved good-bye as she headed off for South Dakota, trying not to show just how much he'd love to be going with her. He returned to his apartment and then ordered his traditional birthday dinner – a Chicago Classic Chicago style pizza – large. It arrived and he ate two slices, before putting the rest in the fridge. It was lunch for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. He worked Christmas Eve, and after the store closed at seven, he went to the eight o'clock Christmas Eve Mass, then returned to his apartment and slept until late the next morning. The day almost no different than any other of the year. 

The best birthday of his childhood had been when he turned ten. He and his parents had gone to Uncle Luke's – and they'd arrived on the farm to find that Aunt Mara had made meatloaf and mashed potatoes, along with a glorious pineapple upside down cake. Everyone had sung 'Happy Birthday' and he'd nearly cried at the overwhelming emotions of the day. That had been before his mother had turned him away – and she'd been in on the surprise. But the cracks were already forming in their relationship; they just hadn't seen it.

Strangely, his seventeenth, when he'd been mourning Jordan and Mari, had turned out better than he expected. Miserable and detached, he had been sitting at lunch on the cruise ship, alone, when an elderly couple who had been watching over him during the journey got out of him what was going wrong. That night at dinner, while his parents talked to each other, almost completely ignoring him, the wife in the couple had gotten the on-board band to play 'Happy Birthday' to him – and he heard seventy people, singing in five different languages, in a beautiful chorus that had nearly made him cry. He'd eaten every last bite of the slice of chocolate cake he'd been given, even though it was enough for two people. 

He'd entered his twenty-third year with a mixture of optimism and trepidation. Twenty-three was always a strange age in the Skywalker family. His great-grandfather had nearly lost the family farm to the Dust Bowl in his twenty-third summer. Great-grandmother Shmi was married in hers, and gave birth to his grandfather before the year was out. Grandfather Anakin finished college and began his work with Eastern Airlines in the spring of sixty-three. Grandma Padme, much like her mother in law, was married and became a mother when she turned the age, one year after her husband. Uncle Luke moved to the farm at twenty-three, Leia Organa started her second year of law school. 

For Benjamin Bail Organa Solo, twenty-three was nothing short of strange. In January, he finished writing _Kylo Ren._ In February, he sent a draft to his friend Nate, and in March, he plucked up the courage to ask Leslie Phasma what she thought of his work. In April, he sent a copy to his grandma and Uncle Luke and started working on revisions. In May, he went to South Dakota for his cousin Elijah's graduation, not planning on returning for a year, when Anna graduated from high school. Then in June, any possible summer plans were destroyed when he was nearly killed in a car accident. July and August swept past in a haze of recovery, and September was a tumultuous race of Cubs baseball and pretending that everything was just fine within. The splintering started in October, the looming holidays mocking him as the year began to wind down, threatening to send him tumbling into a down.

The Cubs won the Series and he clung to the feeling; then, on a snowy Monday afternoon in November, he stood next to a thin young woman at an L station, and Ben would have dismissed it as a one-off, until the next morning when he found the same girl standing in a corridor, a despondent look on her face.

The last six and a half weeks of his twenty-third year had been a roller coaster of ups and downs – he had started his second relationship of his life, he had learned he was a big brother – his mother was moving to St Louis....

...and right now, he was lying on an air mattress in his cousin's room, ready to spend the second birthday and Christmas with as much of his family as possible in his life.

Ben turned over on his side, sighing as he felt Arya curled up under his chin, purring. The place that had recently started to be occupied by Rey. He closed his eyes, listening to the house settle around him, the drone of the heater and the familiar lash of snow on glass soothing him to sleep.

If either of his parents remembered to call tomorrow, he just might answer his phone.


	2. Birthday, Part 1

Unlike yesterday, Rey was among the first people up on Ben's birthday. She followed Daisy out of the bedroom and into the kitchen, slightly groggy from a heavy night's sleep. While she sat and slowly woke up drinking coffee, the girl sipped from her glass of juice, writing down a list of things to get ready for breakfast. The fact that the girl could think so clearly just out of bed was mind-blowing to her. The other thing that Rey had trouble believing was the lack of leftovers at every meal she had eaten in this house so far. Even last night's dinner of chilli and cornbread had been cleared completely away, although she had noted that the three biggest eaters at the table were Ben, Liam and Elijah. Given that Elijah was her height and was scrawny, she had no idea where he put it all. Liam was shorter and stockier; and she already knew Ben could be a bottomless pit. 

Unless something was wrong, and then he barely ate. 

Daisy leaned on her fist, her face drawn into a grimace. “What do you and Ben normally have for breakfast?”

Rey covered a yawn. “Cereal, more often than not.” She took a drink of coffee. “Sometimes a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, if we have to run for the L.”

“Everyone liked the casserole yesterday.” she tapped her fingers on the table, groaning softly. “I also need to do all the baking today.” She let out a yawn and leaned back in her seat, her head tilted upward. “Maybe I should just make a pot of oatmeal and keep it warm on the stove so everyone can eat when they want.” 

“That would work. Put out whatever people like on it next to the bowls.” She took a sip of coffee as Luke came into the room, rubbing his eyes. “Morning.” 

“Morning.” He blinked a few times, going over to the coffee pot. The two of them hadn't spoken much more than pleasantries since her outburst at breakfast yesterday. While Rey knew that what she had done could be considered rude, at the same time, she found it frustrating that this family was terrible at communicating with each other. “You're usually not the first one up, Daisy.” 

“I kept thinking of how much I have to get done today, I figured I could either lie and bed and think about it, or get up and get started.” She sat forward, giving her a smile. “Don't forget to claim your hour for gift wrapping today.” 

There was a soft scraping sound as Luke sat down at the table, and Rey turned her focus on the contents of her coffee cup; she took a sip from it, blinking. “I won't. Is there a sign-up sheet?”

“It's on the fridge.” Luke answered before his daughter could. “Anna put it up last night, after dinner.” 

She hadn't been in the kitchen since she helped clear the table last night's meal, chased off from dish duty by Elisa and Mara. “I'll pick a time when I'm a little more awake.” 

Daisy cleared her throat. “I should know this, but how is Ben turning today?”

“Twenty-four.” Her father stated before Rey could answer. She looked over and saw he had that grin on his face that she'd seen on his nephew's several times. That goofy, almost obnoxious smile that she never knew if she hated or found adorable. It was strange to see it on someone else. “To look at him now, you'd never know he was born almost two months early.”

“I can't believe how tall he is.” The girl shook her head. “It doesn't make sense. I mean, is Uncle Han tall?”

“No, he's not.” Luke took a drink from his own mug and Rey kept looking into hers. “My dad was six foot even, but...” He shook his head.

“You obviously haven't seen Ben's supervisor at work.” She interjected. “Lurch is six-foot nine.” She looked up and saw Daisy gaping at her. “I didn't think it was possible for anyone, other than Gwen, to make Ben look short.” 

“Hurricane Gwen.” Luke chuckled, “how's she doing?”

“Fine, from what I can tell.” She drank some of her coffee. “Counting down the days until the pitchers and catchers report.” She frowned over the rim of her mug. “I think she's a bit more of a tsunami than a hurricane, actually.” 

“Is that the really tall woman who said she was Ben's cousin so she could get into the ICU back in June?” Daisy spoke up, looking from her to her dad.

“Yup.” He shook his head. “You haven't seen her angry yet, have you?”

“I saw her get mildly angry at a sales clerk about a week ago.” Rey managed a smile. “The idiot thought I was her kid.” She set her mug down, thinking back to the incident. “Which, were we to keep our ages, works if she gave birth to me when she was nineteen.” 

“Maybe they thought you were still in high school, since you're so skinny.” Daisy grinned. “You could pass for one of Anna's classmates....” She stopped, a thought clearly coming to her, and Rey swore she could see the gears turning in her mind. 

“Daisy Padme Skywalker, what are you thinking of doing?” By the tone of his voice, Luke sounded more apprehensive than angry.

She picked up her glass, grinning. “Nothing I can pull off on my own, don't worry.” 

“That's what has me worried.” He looked at Rey. “I should have listened to my mother when she warned me about the quiet ones.” He shook his head, smiling. “If there's a plan carried out, nine times out of ten, she's the mastermind behind it.” 

Rey took a sip of coffee, feeling slightly more at ease. “That's funny, she doesn't look dangerous.” 

“Ha!” A voice came from the hallway, and Ben came into the room, yawning. “Daisy's the most dangerous of the lot. Elijah's the one who almost never misbehaves.” 

Luke snorted. “Since when, birthday boy? He's nearly as bad as his sister.” 

Daisy sprang up from her chair and hugged her cousin tightly around the middle. “Happy birthday, BB!”

“Thank you Dais.” He grinned, returning the hug somewhat tiredly and went into the kitchen coming back a moment later with a mug. “Morning, Uncle Luke, morning Rey.” He came over to her side of the table and kissed the top of her head. 

“Happy birthday.” she leaned over and kissed his cheek when he sat down. “Feel any older?”

He squeezed his eyes shut, clearly trying to wake up. “I was born old.” 

Luke sniggered over his coffee mug, and Rey rolled her eyes. “Drink your coffee, answer again after you've turned back into a human.” She frowned, looking towards the kitchen. “Where'd Daisy go?”

Ben took a sip from his mug. “If she's got a scheme in mind, she's going to go sit in her room and wait for her sisters to wake up.” He took another drink. “and thank you for the birthday wishes.”

*

Leia leaned against the threshold, looking into the dining room. The contents of Ben's room had been packed into exactly eleven sixty-four gallon Rubbermaid tubs. Nathan had gone to the Target to purchase them, when he realized that the boxes she had left wouldn't be nearly enough to send them in. The lids had been taped down at the handles, and all of them had been marked FRAGILE regardless of their contents. She took a long drink from her coffee mug, her eyes drifting to the one large box that she knew held the framed picture of Fenway Park. 

“Well, what are we to do?” It was hard to believe that her son was twenty-four today. It didn't seem like he should be that old, her mind still thought of him as a teenager. Then again, when he was a teenager, she thought he was a little boy. So much time slipped away, so much of it wasted. 

She turned and went back into the kitchen, sitting down at the counter and looking over her to-do list for the day. The moving van would leave here on Monday the ninth; she would leave Buffalo the following day, and she was not looking forward to the nearly twelve hour drive it would take to get to her new loft in St Louis. She frowned at her list, looking at the first item on it, and then glancing at the clock. 

_Call Ben._

It was seven-thirty here, and it was far too early to be calling her son, even if he had been in Chicago, it'd be to early. She'd wait, make the call around lunch time. After she finished the closets – and added more to her donation bags. She was almost ashamed of the sheer amount of clothes she'd pulled from her own wardrobe – things she hadn't worn in years, some of them hadn't fit in about as long and she had kept them thinking she'd somehow fit into them again. The fact that the only clothes that Nathan and Jennifer had found in Ben's room were his school uniforms and sweaters that were unfamiliar to both them and herself – it was just... well, it was wrong.

She took a drink from her mug, wondering how many more surprises she was going to find while packing things up. 

“I still have no idea what I'm going to do about Christmas.” She tapped her pen against the counter, frowning. “Might just out for Chinese.” She pinched the bridge of her nose just as her cellphone started to ring. She grimaced, knowing that since work would not call her, and her mother, son and brother were all in the same time zone, it could be only one person. Taking a breath, she picked up the phone and answered it. “Good morning, Han.” 

“I wasn't expecting you to answer, I... uh, thought you weren't speaking to me.” He sounded exhausted. 

“I've been busy, Han. Getting ready to move.” She frowned. “Where are you?”

He took a deep breath, then sighed. “London. Getting ready to board a plane to Boston.” 

“Boston?” She sat up, frowning. “I thought you were working. You always work the holidays.” There was a hint of accusation in her voice, and she tightened her grip on her pen. “Were are you headed?”

“I'm coming back to Buffalo, Leia. Just for a few days.” He let out a sigh. “You said back in November we needed to talk. You didn't come to Europe, so I'm coming back to the States to talk.” 

She set the pen down, then took another sip of coffee. “I don't know what we have to talk about. You haven't even been back here in six years. Why now?” She stood up and started to pace. “Ben's not here.” 

“Figured he wasn't.” Han sighed. “The kid and I were never going to be pals, I knew that a long time ago.”

It was on the tip of Leia's tongue to ask what his relationship with Diana was like, but then she reminded herself that it was _different_ between fathers and daughters. “Well, I certainly hope you don't need a kidney, because I highly doubt Ben would let you have one of his.”

“If that's your attempt at humor, it isn't funny.” He coughed. “He wouldn't give you one either.”

Leia rolled her eyes. “I wouldn't ask him, even if I did.” She walked over to the window, her eyes narrowing at the fat, fluffy snowflakes that were falling. “What time are you expected to get in?”

“Depends on the weather.” Han let out a muffled yawn. “I've already booked a hotel room, it wouldn't feel right, coming to the house.” 

She went back over to the counter and took a drink of coffee. “What were we thinking, when we moved into this place twenty-one years ago?”

“I don't know, Leia. I really don't know.” There was a muffled sound on the other end. “Boarding call. I better get things together. I'll call you when I land in Boston.” 

The call ended and she glared at her phone for a moment before hanging up on her end. She didn't know if she wanted her husband to get snowed at Logan Airport or not. “Well, this is a fine time to come back to New York.” She drained the last of her coffee and, after putting her mug in the dishwasher, decided she'd start with the hall closet. 

*

Ben ran his hand along the curved back of the mahogany colored chair, the second most worn seat of the group, the odd marks on the edges, and he had a feeling that if he swung the chair back to look at the bottom, he would find a series of crescent grooves worn into the wood; caused by his younger self, holding onto his chair to keep himself anchored and still. He let out a breath and looked at the rest of the table; it seemed so different, sitting now in Uncle Luke's house instead of that formal dining room of his mother's. The sort of room that had just reeked of touch-me-not and mock perfection. 

Aunt Mara had put a protective table cover over the top, and he stared at his small stack of gifts, and then at the plethora of wrapping paper on his other side. He had snagged the three-o'clock hour for wrapping, and he had spent the first ten minutes of his turn just staring at the table he grew up eating at on holidays and other 'important' days. The rich scent of cake was drifting through the house and he was trying not to think about this was his first birthday that would be celebrated by more than one person since he was eighteen. 

He and Rey had decided that they would exchange gifts when they returned from South Dakota, since it made little point to bring the gifts with them only to have to bring them back. Under their tree back in Chicago were also her gifts from Finn and Poe, his gifts from Jen and Nate, and a few other packages. Sighing, he removed his gift for Liam out of its bag and he heard a small chirp and he grinned as Arya's bell let off a small noise and he saw her jump onto the table from the floor. “I thought I raised you better than that.” He admonished. “Jumping on tables.” He crumpled up a scrap of tissue and tossed it at her.

Arya dove for it and began to bat it around in her paws.

“Don't expect this to be a usual thing.” He grinned, shaking his head as he selected a roll of paper with an ornament pattern and spread it out in front of him.

“Sure you don't spoil your cat.” Rey's voice came from the doorway, and he looked up, grinning. “You're never this indulgent with her at home.”

“It's the holidays.” He grinned as she came into the room, pulling out one of the chairs, turning it around so she could rest against her arms against the back. He took up the scissors. “You have more things to wrap, did you?”

She shook her head. “I'm good.” She gave him a concerned look. “How have you been sleeping?” Her voice dropped low, and she quickly looked down at her hands. 

“All right.” He answered, honestly. “It'd be easier if air-mattresses were designed for tall people, but it's better than trying to lie comfortably on the couch.”

She grinned. “I almost walked into the linen closet last night, confused and thinking it was the bathroom.” She reached out and poked at the tissue paper Arya was playing with, picking it up with the tips of her fingers and batting the animal with it. “It's been kind of strange, not having any sort of work, school or otherwise to do. I'm not used to it.” 

“As soon as you do, second semester will start.” He taped down the folded paper. “Miss Twenty-One hours.” He gave her a look. “Don't think I'll be writing your lit paper for you, because I won't.” 

“You could probably make a small fortune writing people's papers for them.” She held the tissue up for Arya to bat at. “What's the current going rate for a term paper these days?”

“Depends on the subject, length and the level of the class.” He felt his face flush. “The most I ever made was around a hundred fifty.” He ducked his head, looking over to see her stunned expression. “Twelve pages, counting bibliography on Picket's Charge at the Battle of Gettysburg for American Historical Survey.” Ben slid a hand through his hair. “That's not the price I was going to quote them, that's what they offered and given that they were wearing jeans that cost about what our rent is, I felt no shame in taking it.”

Rey straightened. “Where the hell do you buy jeans that cost that much?” she held her hand out. “Wait, I think I know the answer to that, or a possible answer. Neiman Marcus, better known as Needless Markup?” 

“More than likely. Most expensive jeans I ever bought cost fifty dollars – and I can sort of understand that.” He pulled his uncle's gift from the bag and selected a new roll of paper. “It takes more fabric to cover my legs. What I don't get is why Leslie has to pay the same price, when she's a foot shorter. Shouldn't hers be something close to half that price?”

“Since when do you know what Leslie Phasma pays for her jeans? Or what size she wears?” She retorted, grinning and surrendering the tissue paper to Ayra, who batted it off the table and then dived after it. 

“I'd say since this past September, when she drug me to Kohl's for some new clothes.” Ben sighed, looking down at the table. “It's been a while since I made money that way. It's not something I'm particularly proud of doing, since it's not... well...” He closed his eyes as he felt her arms wrap around his waist, her head pressed between his shoulder blades. “Rey...”

“Just don't let me catch you modeling for Life Drawing again.” Her arms tightened around him and she chuckled. “I don't care if the department pays you twice what they did this semester.” 

He grinned, turning around. “Miss Kenobi, is that _jealousy_ I hear in your voice?” Ben lifted her chin with his hand and kissed her the tip of her nose. “That room was cold, you won't find me doing it again. It's a miracle I didn't get sick.” 

“I'm surprised I haven't gotten sick either.” she rested her head against his chest and he hugged her tightly, pressing his face into her hair. He'd missed this; the simple act of embracing had started to become a part of their daily routine, but for the past three weeks, they'd missed each other in passing time and time again. “Then again, we haven't exactly been able to share germs lately.” 

Ben chuckled, hugging her tighter. “Miss Twenty-One Hours can't afford to get sick this upcoming semester.” 

“Don't remind me.” She snickered. “What was I thinking?” 

“That you don't want to take classes during the summer?” He lifted her chin and placed a soft kiss on her lips. “You go get your gifts, we'll wrap at the same time and then we'll go take a walk together, what do you think?”

Rey smiled. “Sounds great.”

*

Diana rested her chin on her knees, watching the neighborhood from her window. Well, mainly watched a figure in a coat, hat and scarf use a snow-blower on the sidewalk on the other side of the street. Going in the opposite direction was another person in a coat scooping salt out of a bag and spreading it over the already cleared walk. She'd yet to see any kids running around – if there was ever this much snow in Rotterdam, no one would be working and all the kids would be building forts, snowmen and who knew what else.

Aunt Amelia said snow was a constant of their winter here in this part of Illinois. 

She reached out and ran a finger along the glass, absently wondering if Ben was spending his Christmas here in Chicago or if he'd gone back to Buffalo for the holiday. No, that couldn't be right, since Dad had told her and mom that Ms Organa had been coming to Europe for Christmas for years – and Ben hadn't come with since he went to college. She'd never spent a single Christmas with Dad, and she had sort of accepted that it was Ben's holiday with his father – the way she usually got Easter. But Dad hadn't seen her brother in six years.

Sighing, she slid out of her seat and went over to the desk, opening the middle drawer and pulled out the thick pack of construction paper, then took her crayons, scissors and glue from another drawer. Today, wherever he was, was Ben's twenty-fourth birthday. Her own birthday was in May, exactly one month before Dad's in June. She had a shoebox half full of cards she had made for him; she never knew if she'd get a chance to give them to him; but she made them all the same. 

Aunt Amelia was showing a house to some people this afternoon, Uncle Kurt was in his office downstairs finishing up grades for his students. Diana had kept her door open a crack, just so she could hear the music filtering up from her uncle's radio more clearly. 

The doorbell rang, the sound echoing loudly through the house. 

She frowned and had just reached the door of her room when she heard her uncle answer it, and let whomever it was inside.

“I wasn't expecting you stop by before New Year's, Peter.” Uncle Kurt's voice sounded strange; somewhere between upset and surprised.

“I wanted to drop off the last information I have before heading on holiday, Mr. Anslan. It's not much, but I felt you should know that Benjamin left Chicago for South Dakota two days ago from O'Hare Airport, in the company of Miss Kenobi.” 

Diana felt the color drain from her face. Who was Peter, and why did he know that about her brother? Who was Miss Kenobi? 

“Where his aunt and uncle live?” Uncle Kurt cleared his throat. “That's all well and good then. I don't suppose you know when they're expected to return?”

“No, Mr. Anslan, I don't. I can also report that Miss Kenobi is no longer an employee at the Aldi where she was working, Benjamin still works at Michael's.”

She knew Michael's was an arts and crafts store; Aunt Amelia had a slew of plastic bags from there. Why did this Peter know so much about her brother? She leaned against the wall, and through the crack she could see the man her uncle was talking to; he was shorter than her uncle, and if she had to pick a word to describe him, it was ordinary. Brown hair, brown eyes – nothing to make him stand out. Then she realized that was the point. The man had to be a private investigator. 

“Anything else change since I last spoke to you?” Uncle Kurt folded his arms and she wanted to kick him in the shin to get the look on his face off of it. It was nothing short of condescending.

“His visits to Doctor Andres's psychiatry office have become a weekly occurrence.” Peter answered and Diana had to shove her fist into her mouth to keep from screaming. 

“Well, from what you've observed and what I understand, if there's anyone who's going to be mentally disturbed, it's going to be that kid. Having a long-time friend kill themselves in such a dramatic way as jumping off the Golden Gate Bridge following two others dying as a result of a car crash is going to mess anyone up.” Uncle Kurt's voice shifted; it sounded almost sympathetic.

She swallowed hard, hugging herself tightly. How long had Peter been watching Ben? She felt the tears start to fall down her cheeks and she saw her uncle hand the man an envelope. It made her feel sick. That was her _brother_ they were talking about. And Uncle Kurt probably had no idea she could hear the entire conversation. 

“I'll report back in a month.” Peter was tucking the envelope into an interior coat pocket. “Would you like me to see what I can find on Miss Kenobi?”

“That would be most helpful, particularly since your last report stated that until she moved in with Benjamin, she was living in a firetrap in a particularly unsafe part of Chicago.” there was that nasty tone again. 

Diana stepped back from the door and went over to her bed, grabbing her stuffed dog and hugging it tightly as she sat back down in her window seat. The two people working in the snow were now together at the end of a driveway, and she could see that the one with the salt had white blonde hair. The thing that struck her as odd was when Peter came out of Uncle Kurt's front door and down to his car, the woman was holding her cell-phone at hip level. At least, she thought it was a phone. 

As Peter drove away, she saw the woman stick whatever it was into her pocket and look up, noticing her for the first time. She lifted a single finger to her lips, her expression unreadable from this distance, but Diana understood. Well, if Uncle Kurt was going to nose around in her brother's private life, then her having a couple of secrets wasn't a problem at all. She returned the gesture to the woman, and winked. 

*

Grant Phasma frowned at his sister. “Since when do the Anslan's have kids?”

“I wouldn't know, I'm not out here all that often.” Gwen frowned. “But that guy who just left, I've seen him a few too many times around Ben for it to be a coincidence. I know I saw him at O'Hare when I picked you up the other day.” 

He leaned on the snow-shovel, shaking his head. “Why would the professor be so interested in your neighbor? Or do you think he's following Rey Kenobi?”

“He's following Ben.” She shook he head. “Whatever he's up to, I have a feeling it's no good.” She set a hand on her pocket, remembering the date. “As soon as I do find out what he's up to, I'm letting both of them know.” She glanced back at the house and saw the girl was still watching the two of them. She needed to find out who she was too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, Uncle Kurt's a bit of an ass. But once you hear what he thinks of Ben's dad, you'll get where he's coming from.


	3. Birthday, Part 2

The December air was bracing. Rey was certain it wasn't any colder here in South Dakota than it was back in Chicago, but the outdoors felt different here; there was a scent to the winter here that wasn't back in the city. The prairie stretched out on both sides of the road, the land waves of snow, augmented by the occasional row of fence posts, and doted with a solitary tree, but with their off-white trunks spattered with brown, they faded into the landscape. Far off, she wasn't certain of the distance, there was a string of great steel towers, the wires connecting them invisible against the soft gray of the sky. There was just so much space – it wasn't like being out in rural Texas, with its dusty, shrub and tree persona. It was – it was empty here. Empty and yet, she knew full well it wasn't.

Ben squeezed her hand as they continued their walk. “You cold?”

“No.” She shook her head, looking up at him and smiling. “It's all this space.” 

He chuckled. “I know what you mean. The first time I can remember being here, I kept wondering where all the trees were.” 

“That too.” What few trees there were in the area were either tall, wiry pines or cottonwoods. She watched her breath in the air for a moment. “What's that smell?”

“That's woodsmoke, most likely.” They came to a crossroads, and Rey looked up at the brown and white sign that stated the Ingalls Homestead was nine miles away. “The snow removal here is better than in Buffalo, but that could be due to all the people who have plows they can fit on the front of their trucks and tractors.”

She grinned. “I could argue that it might be even better than Chicago's.” They turned down the road, heading northward. “So is this all your uncle's farm?” She waved her hand to their right. “Or is it back that way?” 

“Most of it is.” Ben shrugged. “In total, the Skywalker farm is a hundred and twenty acres. They live on one, grow soybeans on seventy-six, grow silage on around twenty and the cows usually graze on the remainder. Well, in the summer that is. I don't know how the whole thing with the cows work. I just know they get sold in October.” 

Rey thought for a moment. “And the horses are essentially the pets then?” 

“Something like that.” He shook his head. “They were all rescue animals. If they do any work, I don't know what it is. The reason they're the pets and not anything else, is because they're the only animal that will not eventually end up on the dinner table. The cats and dogs around the farm are just sort of there – that's one of the reasons Arya has to stay in the house. She may be fixed, but given that I trimmed her claws before we left, all she's got to defend herself is her size.” 

She shook her head. “She's also got her teeth, but I don't think she'd want to get that close.” She grinned. “I don't think cats are much for verbal sparing. Although Arya probably would have the better stories.” 

He grinned. “Really, Spot and Shadow, I flew on an airplane! That's how I got here!” He raised his voice an octave as he spoke. “I'm also famous on the internet! People in Chicago ask if they can take my picture because I can walk on a leash!”

“Yeah, I don't think your aunt and uncle would appreciate Arya teaching the cats in the barn how to operate a doorknob. I don't even know how she learned it.”

“They were something shiny and she wanted to grab them, is my guess.” Ben shook his head. “I was just sitting there on the couch one day when Arya padded all calm and quiet over to your room, stood on her hind legs and tugged the pull down. Door opened, in she went.” He let out a breath. “I'd already seen her open drawers and the cabinets, but I didn't think she could figure out the schematics of a knob.”

“Not to mention if you fussed at her, she'd try to look cute to get out of trouble.” She wrinkled her nose. “How'd you find out about the drawers?”

He grinned, chucking. “I found her in my sock drawer one morning. I'd just gotten out of the shower, went into my room, not even worried about where she could be and boom – overgrown kitten making herself a nest in my dress socks.” He made a face. “It didn't exactly help that it was semi-dark and all of my light colored socks were in the wash.”

She laughed. “I know about the laundry basket dozing.” She squeezed his hand. “The cold's not bothering you, is it?”

Ben shook his head. “I'm fine, there's not nearly as many stairs around here at there are back in the city. That helps...” He was cut off as his phone started playing 'Moving Out' and they both came to a standstill. His eyes flicked to his coat pocket for a moment, then back at her. Rey could see the hesitancy in his face; she'd heard his phone go off five times in the past three weeks and he'd never answered once. Before she could think of putting her hand on his arm, he pulled the device out of his pocket and hit the answer button, putting it on speakerphone. “Hello?”

In the still afternoon, Leia Organa's voice sounded twice as loud as it should as she started to sing. _“Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday dear Ben, happy birthday to you!”_ She cleared her throat. “Have a wonderful day, Ben.” She hung up, leaving Rey wide eyed and Ben – well, his expression was still uncertain, worrying at his bottom lip with his teeth. 

“That was nice.” He manged to get out as he slid the phone back into his pocket. 

Rey stepped forward and wrapped him in a hug, smiling as she felt his arms go around her, his face pressed into her hair. With her nose squashed up against his coat, she was acutely aware of the smell of him; that scent she could never quite completely put together. The undercurrent of lavender and Axe Phoenix body wash, coffee and the wind – she heard him sigh as his fingers brushed her ear. The cold seemed to slip away from her as the embrace continued, but reality came crashing back around her when she felt Ben's lips on the back of her neck. “What are you doing?!” She let out a squeal as he nipped at the skin, before pulling away, letting her hair fall back over the area he'd uncovered. 

“Stealing a moment.” He replied, resting his forehead against hers. “I don't think we'll have many more between now and when we go to the airport on Tuesday.” 

She returned the smile and stood up on her toes, nipping at his bottom lip. “Your aunt and uncle aren't that dense. I'm fairly certain they're aware of just what kind of companions we are.” She sank back down onto her feet. “Although they won't say anything against it, will they?”

He squeezed her hand again and they continued on their walk. “Advantage of a family where you don't discuss things. The only times things are talked about if it's a need-to-know basis or if it concerns someone's safety.” He made a face. “I don't think my cousins have caught on, well, Liam and Elisa haven't, I know that.” He shrugged. “But I'm fairly certain that the only one who knows the truth about their parents is Anna.” 

Rey stopped short, trying to think what Ben could possibly be talking about. “There's nothing wrong with your aunt and uncle.” She shook her head. “What is the truth?”

“Uncle Luke and Aunt Mara are companions too. Not in the same sense we are, but to put it simply, they are platonic bed-sharing friends.” He chuckled. “They aren't gay or bi, they're ace.” He pointed in the direction of the house. “As far as everyone in De Smet knows, they couldn't have kids of their own, that's why they adopted a gang of them.” 

She folded her arms, thinking over the past day and a half at the farm. There weren't any outward signs she'd noticed of Mr and Mrs Skywalker being asexual, she just thought they were a happily married couple who weren't big into displays of affection. She shrugged. “And how do you know that Anna knows?” She came over, took his hand and they went on down the road. 

“She asked me, back in May when I was here for Elijah's graduation.” He squeezed her hand. “Uncle Luke will most likely corner me before we leave, telling me the standard conversation of being careful, and not doing anything risky, mostly likely to be augmented with a few lines of how you're so much younger than I am.”

“Yeah, all of what, five years and a few months?” She chuckled, leaning over to kiss his cheek. “It's barely that, given our birthdays.” She wrinkled her nose. “You don't think I'll get a similar talking-to, do you?”

“If you do, it'll be from grandma, mostly about how she's too young to be a great-grandma.” He rolled his eyes. “You have trouble remembering to feed Arya, and sometimes even yourself. I think we need to get you a plant to practice on. A cactus, so you don't have to water it too often.” 

She twisted her face into a pout as a reply. 

*

Leia set her phone down, letting herself relax. She had kept her shock at Ben actually answering the phone out of her voice; when he'd said hello, she'd come within a fraction of losing her composure. Just to hear her son's voice after nearly a month of not hearing it; somehow, almost expected to hear not the grown man, but the little boy he used to be. She folded her hands and rested her chin against them, her eyes scanning the empty chairs of the kitchen table. It had been almost a relief when the dining room table had left. While the Quirks had declined her offer of the large television, the Komers had been more than happy to accept, and had carted the damned thing off yesterday afternoon. 

There was just something satisfying in cleaning out the accumulation of the past twenty-two years. Given her penchant for cleaning things out, she was rather appalled that she hadn't done this task years ago. She'd found at least a dozen coats in the hall closet to donate, some of which she was certain hadn't fit Ben in at least ten years. Folded in the pockets of one of them had been a program from a musical his high school had put on his freshman year. It was just unbelievable how things kept turning up – the coal gray wool coat she'd thought she'd lost somewhere in Europe five years ago had, all along, been tucked near the back of the hall closet, the dry-cleaner bag still over it. Then there had been the collection of hats, scarves, gloves – some hers, some Ben's and some she had no idea who the owner was.

Leaving her phone on the kitchen table, she went over to refill her coffee mug, humming softly to herself. On the fridge was a picture of the view from her new loft in St. Louis – she'd be able to see the Mississippi River from her windows, as well as part of the Arch. Right in the heart of downtown, only a short walk from her new firm. Close enough she could walk everyday, ending a hellish commute. As she came back to the table, her phone started ringing and she frowned. It seemed a little too soon for Han to be calling her.

“Hello?” She sat down at the table. “Han?”

“Hey.” Her husband took a breath. “Flight was diverted for a technical emergency. No one's hurt or anything, but it looks like I won't be in Buffalo any time soon.” He sighed. “We're in Halifax.”

She looked down into her cup, as if it had answers for her. “How's the weather?”

“Gray and cold.” He coughed. “What about there?”

Leia turned to look out the window. “Snowing.” she frowned. “The big, fat flake kind of snow. Odds are, even if you were in Boston, you'd have little chance of flying in on time, if at all.” She took a sip of coffee. “I'm glad you're safe and sound.”

“Yeah.” There was a shuffling noise. “So much for Christmas, huh?”

She swallowed. “I don't think we've had a real Christmas as a family since the year we went to South Dakota.”

“That was forever ago.” Han chuckled. “Ben was what, ten?”

She picked up her mug. “Yes, he was. Mara made pineapple upside down cake. Odds are, someone's made him one for tonight. I may not know much about our son, but I do know his favorite cake.”

He coughed. “Excuse me. Yeah. That was back when there were just two kids to keep track of – how many Skywalkers are there now? Four, right?”

Leia resisted the urge to roll her eyes. “Five, Han. Anna, Elijah, Daisy, Liam and Elisa.” She pulled the tin of cookies towards her. “Reminds me, will you be coming to Anna's graduation from high school this May? I've already made plans to go, even though it's in five months.”

“Anna isn't that old already, is she?” He coughed again. “Where does the time go? And when did uh... Liam, was it? When did he show up at the farm?”

“Around two years ago. He's twelve...” She tucked her phone under her chin so she could pry the tin open. “I think. I know he's younger than Daisy, and older than Elisa, and she just turned ten.” 

“Well, given that the only one we've ever met is Anna, I'd say it's understandable.” There was a shuffling noise and she could hear part of a conversation. “No flights until when? Tomorrow morning?” He muttered something and then there was a loud thump. “Sorry, had to get out of the line. Looks like I'm here until tomorrow afternoon, at the earliest.” He sighed. “You saw Anna this past summer, right?”

“Yes.” Leia didn't want to be reminded of this past June. “Well, if you're stuck in Halifax, odds are, the hotel rooms are going to be going fast.”

“Oh, I've got a corner of the airport already staked out. I've slept in worse places.” He sighed. “I'll call you to let you know when I'm getting out of here.” 

“All right.” she took a drink from her mug. “When was the last time you were here, Han? I can't remember.” 

“For any length of time? The May Ben graduated from high school.” He chuckled. “When the hell did he get to be twenty-three?”

Leia was certain that she could have killed husband with the look on her face at the moment. “Last year, Han. He's twenty-four today.”

“Shit.” Han hissed. “He's not that old, is he?”

“Yes. Our son is twenty-four years old and I don't think I'm the only one who owes him a serious apology. Stay safe.” She hit end call on her phone and dropped it on the table, selecting a sugar cookie in the shape of a sleigh from the tin. She took a very large bite out of it as the phone started to ring again, and she glared at the device as she ate, pointedly ignoring it.

It wouldn't be the first time she'd dismissed her husband's calls, nor was it the first time she had done it on someone else's behalf.

*

Where had the time gone? Han leaned against the airport window, his eyes narrowing at the rapidly darkening sky, and the light snowfall he knew would turn heavy before the evening was done. Halifax was small in comparison to many airports he'd been stranded in, but it was slightly more modern than others. He sighed as he watched an Air Canada flight roll past, heading for the runway. Some of the people who had been on his plane were, no doubt, on that flight, headed for Toronto, trying to catch a flight from there to their destination in the States. Tomorrow afternoon he'd board a plane that would take him to Buffalo, so he'd get to skip the whole clusterfuck that Boston International was going to be tomorrow.

He supposed he shouldn't have been so damn surprised when this year blew up in his face. 

When he'd gone to see Diana for her birthday, that was when the first inkling that something was starting to go wrong. Sonja hadn't looked right in his mind; while they had an amicable relationship, mostly for their daughter's sake, he could see that she wasn't well. He'd asked if she was feeling all right, and she stated that she had a cold that she just could shake. He accepted her answer, but the niggling worry remained. He'd headed off for a cruise along the Nordic coast, being assigned to the task due to his familiarity with the sort of seas they would encounter. He'd never liked it because of the spotty cell-phone coverage.

Han had two dozen messages on his cell when his phone finally worked decently again, when they arrived in Oslo. The ones from Leia grew progressively angrier as he went through them, and the handful from his brother-in-law were reproachful. In the end, he had offered his somewhat pathetic excuse, then the summer went on. If his wife felt that she failed as a mother, then what his attempt at being a father to Ben was beyond comprehension. There was no middle ground for the two of them to meet on – no shared interest. Most fathers and sons had _something_ they could do together – but he and Ben – there was nothing. About all they had was a mutual hatred of the New York Yankees. His son was a staunch supporter of the Red Sox and Cubs, while he favored his hometown Orioles and their National League counterparts, the Nationals. 

It was different with Diana. 

He and Leia should have gotten divorced twelve years ago. He could have married Sonja and then Ben might have had another reason to hate him, but he somehow knew that if he had done that, Leia might not have pushed Ben away and the two of them wouldn't be estranged. The distance had always made it just seem easier to not to stay in communication with his son. Their family was broken; shattered to a point where there wasn't any hope of repair. 

Han knew he was going to Buffalo to have the final argument – the one he and Leia needed to have and then they would go their separate ways. They had not been a family since Ben was around six or seven years old; when had the house been little more than a place to list as an address when he filed his taxes? He had to wonder if Leia felt the same way; just divorce and call it done. He shouldered his bags and walked away from the window, deciding he better eat something substantial before workers closed up shop for the night. 

He pulled his cell from his pocket as he made his way down the terminal and flipped through the contacts, trying not to think how wrong it was that his son's number wasn't even in the first ten. He wasn't expecting Ben to answer, he hadn't in weeks. The number rang four times before there was a click and his heart swooped at the notion that it'd been answered. “Ben? Happy Birthday kiddo.” 

“This isn't Ben.” A sharp female voice answered him. She sounded British. “I'll relay the message for you, Mr. Solo.” The connection ended, and Han was left staring at the now silent phone, wondering just how much he'd missed in his son's life that he could never regain.

*

Anna looked up from the dish she was washing to Rey, who was intently drying the bowl she'd just placed in the rack. It was sort of strange in her mind; there was only a one and a half year difference between the two of them, but it somehow seemed like a wider gap. She also wasn't an idiot; she had the strong suspicion that there was more to her and her cousin than either of them were willing to reveal. Not that it was any of her business what the two of them got up to in their private lives. People who hurt Ben, however, were her business. Not that she thought the young woman next to her capable of it. “What's Texas like?” 

Rey blinked at her. “Hot.” She set the now dry bowl down and picked up another one. “Well, for most of the year.” She shrugged. “It's different from here, and from Chicago. Houston's a vastly different city than that. They're both big, but it's just – well, the mix of people are different. As are the attitudes and the culture. Does that make sense?”

She nodded, rinsing the plate and setting it in the rack. “I don't like cities. They seem – wrong, I suppose. Sure, around here you can't catch a cold without the whole town knowing about it, but I think that sort of...” She wasn't sure how to continue this conversation, it was too weird.

The older girl set the dry bowl in the other. “All right, let's just get into it – Daniel Radcliffe or Tom Felton?” She grinned. “Or are you a Rupert Grint girl?”

Anna chuckled, glad at the broken tension. “Rupert. Buys himself an ice-cream truck and drives it around, handing out stuff to kids for free? Total sweetheart.” she handed her another bowl to dry. “Yourself?”

“I'd go with Daniel, but I'd probably be thinking of Ezra Miller.” She shook her head. “I was a goner after _Perks of Being a Wallflower_.” She paused. “I think I spent a good hour fangirling over the _Justice League_ trailer.”

“Oh, next year is going to be a glorious film year. From _Beauty and the Beast_ to the first _Pendragon_ film.” She finished washing the last bowl and rinsed it. “Nearest theater is in Brookings, well – there is Bryant, but they only have one movie at a time.” She handed the bowl to Rey. “You did see _Fantastic Beasts_ , right?”

“I actually haven't” she kept her focus on the bowl. “From work to classes, I really didn't have the time.” 

Anna nodded in understanding as she slid the cake pan into the soapy water. “We went to see it in Bryant during Thanksgiving Break. I didn't notice a movie theater anywhere near Ben's apartment when I was there this past summer.” 

“I don't know where the nearest one is either.” Rey confessed. “I didn't know where the closest grocery store was until three weeks ago.” She smiled awkwardly. “It's been too cold to properly explore the neighborhood.” 

“Yeah, Anna, you have to remember that this is the girl who chose to go to college in Chicago and forgot to include a coat on her packing list.” Ben quipped from the doorway.

Anna nearly burst out laughing at the look Rey gave her cousin. But the idea of forgetting a coat was rather amusing. “So the lack of a coat is _this_ Kenobi's flat tire?”

He leaned against the fridge, folding his arms. “I think that's a fair assessment. Although we can give Rey here a little bit of an allowance – I doubt they sell heavy coats in Houston in the summer, if ever.”

“You. Are. Terrible.” Rey seethed, but Anna could tell she wasn't as angry as she was pretending to be. 

“I hate to break it to you, Miss Kenobi, but Ben's the _nice_ one.” She intoned, turning her attention to scrubbing the cake pan. “I'm the show-off, Daisy's the plotter, Elijah's the co-conspirator, Elisa's the informant, and Liam's still working on his part.” 

*

Luke affixed a bow to the last package, absently running his fingers along the bright blue and white paper, the quiet of the house settling around him. In the still December night, he could hear the long, low horn of the freight train – the tracks a good nine miles south of where he was standing. It was just after ten at night and he had waited until all the kids were in bed before finishing up the wrapping. It was something that he and Mara took turns with every year. He let out a sigh as he heard a slight tinkling of a bell and a moment later, Arya appeared in one of the chairs on the other side of the table, watching him. “What's the matter, little miss?” He used Ben's nickname for his cat. “Not ready to sleep?”

In response, the cat chirped and then got up onto the table, lying down right next to the packages. 

“Terrible manners.” He tossed a scrap of tissue paper at the animal.

“Her manners are better than most cats'.” Ben spoke up from the doorway. “Is she bugging you?” He shuffled into the room, looking half-asleep. “I'll take her out of here...”

Luke frowned at his nephew's apologetic manner. He could remember the first time he saw it, all of ten years old and so worried about doing something wrong. While he knew that this wasn't a result of his sister's treatment of her child, it hadn't taken him too long to figure out exactly why it was there. “Just tell me how you got her to not claw furniture and she doesn't do it when there's food on the table, and it'll be fine.” 

His nephew slid into the chair his cat had first occupied, and the animal padded over to him, licking his chin. “Evening, little miss.” 

“Your father didn't call you, did he?” He stated, barely able to keep the anger from his voice. “Or did he call and you not answer?”

“He called, but I wasn't the one who answered.” Ben replied, his focus on Arya, not him. “Mom called too, just sang happy birthday and then hung up.” He swallowed, suddenly looking ten years younger. “I thought it was fairly nice.”

Luke sat down and pinched the bridge of his nose. “I suppose it was, but this whole thing...” He took a breath. “Since you're not talking to your parents, I may as well just tell you. I'm fairly certain that they're going to be getting a divorce.” 

He looked up at that. “I don't see how that changes much. They weren't much of a couple to begin with, and it's not like they have to have a custody battle over me.” He turned back to Ayra. “If they had done it ten years ago, I might have enjoyed the attention.” 

“If that's your attempt at humor, it isn't funny.” He admonished. “I can't say that I'm surprised.” He absently spooled a loose ribbon around his fingers. “I suppose it is for the best. Just as I know getting out of Buffalo is going to be good for your mother. She's spent too long there waiting for people who are never coming back to return.” 

Ben glanced at him. “I know that.” He sighed, then sat back. “I also know that she pushed me away because she was afraid I'd hurt her.” He swallowed, picking up the tissue paper for his cat to play with. “I figured that out when I was around sixteen, when I first started seriously thinking about De Paul. It wasn't the school that she had an issue with, I don't think. It was the fact that it was all the way out in Chicago.” 

“That's highly possible.” Luke gave him a weak chuckle. “She did ask me what the hell I wanted to go to Chicago for when we were seniors.” He sighed, running a hand through his hair. “I'm not here to tell you that you need to patch things up with your parents. You're not the one at fault, but I'm going to ask you to not be like your mother and fester about it.” He shook his head. “At least where your mom is concerned. I'm still undecided on your father.”

“Welcome to the club.” He grumbled as Arya climbed into his arms. “I'd just like to punch him in the face and call it good.” 

He snorted. “Well, you're a better man than I am, Benjamin. I was thinking of shooting him in the leg. On behalf of you, your mom, your sister and her mother.” 

“Odds are if you did, Diana's uncle would buy you a steak dinner afterward.” He lifted his head, and his lips quirked upward in a smile. “I ran away from home once. I wanted to come live here.” 

Luke straightened at that; this was something he'd never heard. “How far did you get?”

“Downtown Buffalo. I didn't have enough money for a Greyhound ticket to Sioux Falls. Furthest I could get was Indianapolis.” He closed his eyes as Arya began purring. “So I went back – and found that Mom hadn't even come back from work to find me gone.”

“How old were you?” He folded his arms. 

“Thirteen. I could have swiped the money from the emergency fund, but I thought I should be honest about what I was doing.” The look on his face was oddly pathetic. “If I had helped myself to that cash, I would have made it here.” He glanced up. “Or at least, gotten as far as Chicago before the cops brought me back.” 

He closed his eyes, wondering if Leia even knew about his attempt to run away or not. Odds are, she didn't. It was so hard to believe sometimes that he and his sister were even related, let alone were twins. The Organa-Solo family was like peeling an onion. One layer under another and just as tear educing, be it sorrow, frustration or joy. He opened his eyes and tried to smile, but failed. “I know this isn't something that can just be patched up, Ben. And I know you shouldn't be expected to let all of what's happened between you and your parents to just be wiped clean.” He took a breath, weighing his words. “Just don't brush any of their efforts aside.”

Ben didn't look at him. “Is it okay of I wait to see if Mom's being sincere?” He was quiet, and Luke expected him to mention his father as well, but he had a feeling that he wasn't going to include Han. Quite honestly, he couldn't blame his nephew there.

“That's reasonable.” He stood and came around the table, ruffling the young man's hair affectionately. “all right, Grandpa, you go get some sleep. Busy day tomorrow.” 

His nephew rose to his feet, still cradling Arya, who was almost asleep in his arms. “Good night, Uncle Luke.” 

“Night Ben. And once more, Happy Birthday.” He gave him a one armed hug, which Ben managed to return. 

“Thanks.” He smiled, albeit tiredly, and walked quietly down the hall, nudging the boy's room door open with his foot before slipping inside. As the door shut, Luke let out a sigh. He knew that Ben would, no doubt, think over their brief conversation well into the night. He turned and went to put his packages under the tree.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was difficult to write. I was all set to plow through it and have it done last Friday, (Ben's birthday!) and then... well, we all know how this week has been with the passing of Carrie Fisher and her mother. I had to fight my muse into not patching things up between Ben and Leia in a way that destroys the world I've got going here.
> 
> You all stay safe this New Year's Eve, you hear?


	4. Christmas Eve

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Christmas Eve with the Skywalkers and at the Organa-Solo house.

When his uncle had said Christmas Eve was going to be busy, Ben had already known he wasn't kidding. There was dinner for today and tomorrow to prepare for, which he'd volunteered to help with, since it was about the only thing he was certain he couldn't mess up. The idea was to get as much work done today so that tomorrow, on Christmas, what work there was would be finished relatively quickly so that the holiday could be enjoyed. 

As he put the last of the breakfast dishes away, Aunt Mara came into the kitchen, a list in her hand. “Do you know where Daisy is?”

“She's in the laundry room.” He straightened up as his grandma came into the room. “And here's the boss.” 

“Nonsense.” Grandma replied as she pulled on an apron. “You're as much as of an assistant today as I am.” She turned to Aunt Mara. “What's first?”

“I'm not making you do any of the work, mom.” the woman flushed. “You're a guest.” 

“Don't start with me, Mara Jade.” Grandma lifted her chin and folded her arms. “I'm not going to sit on the couch and run commentary while the rest of you work. I'm going to help and you'll not win this argument with me. Not this year, not last year and not next year either. I may be seventy-five, but I am far from senile.” 

Ben mirrored his grandma's pose. “I wouldn't suggest giving her the super-easy jobs either. She'll know.” 

His aunt made a face at him. “Just for that, Benjamin Bail, you go out to the freezer in the garage and bring back the lasagna...” she pulled a slip of paper from her notepad and held it out. “and the rest of this. Chop chop!”

He took the list and saluted his aunt. “Yes, ma'am.” He walked out, passing the laundry room where Rey and his cousin were attempting to cover their giggles. “Don't even start, Rey Satine!” Behind him, he heard Daisy shriek.

“Your middle name is _Satine_?” 

It was chilly in the garage as he went over to the large deep freezer, pushing the lid up and scanning his list and the contents. He pulled the lasagna out first, setting it on the hood of the car behind him as he dug out the rest of the requested items; sausage, two loaves of bread, and an assortment of other items. He managed to gather everything up, resting most of the items on the party-size Stouffer's box, the bread balanced on the top. In the past few days, Ben had found that his thoughts had stated wholly positive; at the same time, his thoughts drifted towards his sister, wondering how she was doing.

The idea of having a sister and then finding out he actually had one were vastly different; he'd searched through campus directories of all the colleges in the Chicago area in an attempt to locate her uncle. He'd found the man at Northwestern, but didn't email him. What the hell was he going to say? It was a good bet the man hated his father, and Ben certainly didn't want to make this any more awkward than it was. 

He was able to nudge the door open and just as he shut it behind him, he heard the lid of the washing machine slam down. It caused him to stop short; not out of fear for himself, but what he heard next.

“Rey? You okay?” He took a few steps forward to look into the laundry room to find Daisy gaping at Rey, who had backed herself into a corner, her face white. Not even pausing, he handed the items to his cousin.

“Take these into the kitchen, Daisy.” He saw her eyes widen at his tone, but she did, fumbling with the bread as it fell to the floor. “Go ahead, it's okay.” He tried to remain calm as he heard her footsteps retreat to the kitchen. For his part, he crouched down, watching Rey, who was trembling. He knew better than to just grab her into a hug. “Rey?”

She swallowed, her eyes darting from the doorway behind him to his face. “I...”

“It's okay, Rey. Nothing's wrong.” He kept his voice even. Ben could have cursed himself; he'd been so worried about his own triggers, he'd forgotten that Rey also had them. He moved a little closer to her, just so that he could reach out and touch her hand. “That was pretty loud, wasn't it?”

She nodded, glancing over his shoulder and he turned and saw his grandmother and aunt watching them. “I...”

“Give us a few, please?” He shifted his focus back to her, giving her fingers a squeeze, “just breathe, okay?” He moved so he was sitting next to her, his hand still holding hers. A moment later, Arya all but ran into the room and sat herself firmly in Rey's lap, chirping. 

“Silly kitty.” Rey mumbled, pressing her forehead against the animal. “I'm sorry.” 

“Don't be.” He started to rub her back. “That's the trouble with some triggers, some you can't prevent completely.” 

She let out a sigh, leaning against him. “Maybe I should start seeing Doctor Andres. Then again, that might be weird for him.” 

“If you want, we can ask him for a referral.” He wrapped his other arm around her. 

“What are you two clowns doing?” Anna's voice came from the doorway, her face pink with cold. “There's...”

“Anna Kinley, you leave them alone!” Aunt Mara's voice was slightly sharp and Ben felt Rey tense next to him. “Where's your father?”

“Mom...” The girl protested, stepping out of their line of sight.

“You want to sit here a while longer?” Ben asked Rey, pushing her hair from her face as Arya stood and nudged her head against his his chin. He gave his cat an absent rub behind the ears.

A tiny grin appeared on Rey's face. “Anna _Kinley_?”

“Yeah. She's named after our biological grandfather Anakin, I'm named after grandpa Organa, just with the names reversed, he was Bail Benjamin.” He chuckled. “Nate once looked at our names and stated we sounded like Cabbage Patch Kids.”

“Those things are creepy.” She mumbled, jumping slightly when the washing machine started to thrum, the filling cycle complete. 

“That they are.” He sighed, letting her relax against him. “Was it the lid falling?”

“Uh huh.” She managed a weak smile. “Not as bad as the plate.” 

He remembered her first panic attack. “Yeah, that was bad.” he closed his eyes, making a mental note to be more watchful of how he shut things back in the apartment from now on.

*

Leia knotted the trash-bag of donations with a flourish, then did a quick count of what was left in the linen closet; three sets of queen size sheets and two full. While she certainly didn't expect him to be sleeping in it any time soon, she was bringing Ben's bed with her to St. Louis to function as a bed for the guest bedroom in her new loft. While she had the urge to just start over with new everything in her new home and fully purge herself of this life in Buffalo, she really didn't want the hassle of having to do extensive shopping when she got to her new place. Tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear, she drug the bag behind her, resisting the urge to roll it down the stairs. 

“It's insane that I haven't done this sooner.” she looked back down the hallway, taking a breath. There was just so much stuff in this house; almost all of it unnecessary. Shaking her head, she headed down the stairs, pulling the bag along, adding it to the row in the front hallway. As she did, she stopped short, looking into the living room; an alarming thought coming to her. Leia had absolutely no idea where the Christmas tree ornaments were. She knew that the tree had gone to a garage sale drive when Ben was in high school, and she'd never bothered to replace it. But the ornaments – those had remained. “Where would I have put those?” She rubbed her temple, trying to remember what kind of box they were in, or where the most logical place for them was. The house didn't have an attic or a crawl space. “Shit.” 

The glass baubles she was fine with losing, but there had been a collection of wooden ornaments that had been made by her father and painstakingly painted by Grandma Shmi. There were others too; ones that had been made by herself, and some, more importantly, made by Ben. The other day she'd found a pie-sized hunk of plaster with her son's five year old hand-print in the middle and she had nearly wept for joy. 

Loathed as she was to do it, there was only one person who would know where the ornaments could possibly be. Leia took her phone out of her pocket and, rather than call Ben directly and risk him not answering her, she called her brother. She checked her watch; it was just after one in South Dakota. There were two rings before the phone was answered.

“Good afternoon, Skywalker residence, may I help you?” It was a boy's voice, too young to be Elijah. 

“Good afternoon, is this Liam?” She bit at her bottom lip. “It's your aunt Leia.” 

“Oh, Ben's mom?” He coughed. “Sorry, yes, this is Liam. Did you want to talk to my dad?” 

A part of her felt perfectly ridiculous in this game of not-talking she and Ben were engaged in currently, but at the same time, knew that it was going to continue for a least another month. She hoped it wouldn't be longer than that. “Well, actually, maybe you can help me. If Ben's there, could you ask him if he remembers where the Christmas decorations are?” 

“Uh, sure, one minute.” She heard him relay the message, and Leia had a flash of memory; a narrow hallway that had a land-line and three of the house's four bedrooms and a bathroom. “Ben says, that if you haven't moved them, they should all be in the dark brown chest in the living room. The one that used to be a toy-box.” 

Leia scanned the living room, finding the chest in a minute, it was under the window that faced the Quirk's house, relieved. “Yes, I still have it.” She went over and lifted the lamp off of the top before raising the lid, leaning it against the wall. About half a dozen boxes were inside, red and green tissue paper sticking out of the corners, and a plastic bag that looked to be full of lights.

“Oh, Aunt Leia? Ben says he took at least a dozen ornaments when he moved to Chicago, so if you notice some missing, that's where they are.” 

“That's okay, thank you.” She took a breath, “Merry Christmas, Liam.” She cleared her throat. “Tell your dad and grandma I'll call them later.” 

“No problem, Merry Christmas.” He replied, then hung up. 

A month ago, she might have been annoyed at his abruptness, but she let it go. She'd never met her youngest nephew, hell, she didn't even know his exact age. She opened her Pandora app to a Christmas station, set her phone on the mantle before kneeling down on the floor to check the contents. Leia ran her hand along the cardboard packing box, the address of the first house in Buffalo faded on the address label, but the clear, even strokes of her grandmother's writing still legible despite the nearly fifty years since its initial mailing. She picked it up and opened the lid, and she could see the displaced tissue from where Ben must have gone through it. 

The doorbell fairly echoed through the house and she nearly dropped the box. Shaking her head, she set it back into place and went towards the door as the bell rang again. Looking out of the peephole, she let out a sigh and then threw back the locks, holding onto the door for support as she faced her husband. “I thought you were stuck in Halifax until tomorrow.” 

“I hung around on standby, got out early this morning.” Han ran a hand through his hair. “May I come in?”

Leia stepped back to let him pass, resolved to keep calm throughout what was about to transpire. This was going to be nothing short of ugly; and she was relieved in a way, that Ben wouldn't be here to see it. “Wipe your feet.”

“I was going to do that.” He took off his coat, laying it over the bannister. “Where'd all these bags come from?”

She shut the door, throwing one of the two locks into place. “I've been asking myself the same question as I clean things out.” She went past him, heading for the kitchen. “Coffee?”

“Sure.” He answered and she heard him following her. “You talk to Ben yesterday?”

“He answered my call, if that's what your asking. I wished him a happy birthday and left it at that. He'll talk to me when he's ready. There's no point in trying to force him.” She went over to the counter and got out a mug, then handed it to him. “You know how the Keurig works?” 

“Yeah.” Han almost looked sheepish as he went over to the machine and busied himself with making his coffee. “I can already tell you that I won't be at Anna's graduation. It's not work related, I just have a feeling that if I showed up, your brother might shoot me.” 

Leia kept her face blank, knowing that her husband was most likely telling the truth. Well, it was one less thing to worry about. “I don't think Luke's the type.” She walked out of the kitchen to retrieve her phone, shutting down Pandora as she returned. Han was leaning against the counter, looking absently around the room. “Something wrong?”

“This room seems bigger for some reason.” He shook his head, took a sip from his mug. “Or maybe I've been living in a small cabin too long.” 

“Possibly.” She went over to the pantry, more for something to do than any real purpose. “I've spent most of the last month what I was doing in this big house all alone.” 

“Leia...” Han let out a worn sigh. “I'm just...” 

Grabbing a can of soup, she returned and dropped it on the counter, causing it to fall over and roll towards him. “ You want some lunch?” What the hell was wrong with her? She should be screaming at him right now, or they should be patching things up, or something – anything other than this odd conversation they were currently having. 

Han picked up the can, setting it upright. “When did this become over, Leia? It just....” 

“I don't know. I think we were both too busy living our lives to really notice that they weren't connected any longer.” She went to fill her own coffee mug. “We were just playing the parts we felt she we should, and while we went on pretending that everything was good, it was falling apart and the only one who saw it was Ben.” She closed her eyes. “I'm sorry about Sonja.” She meant it, even if a part of her seriously envied all the time she had gotten to spend with Han that she hadn't.

“Yeah.” He took a sip of coffee, not looking at her. “I still wish I'd gone to see Ben back in June, after his accident.”

“You do know that he pretty much stays in Chicago, don't you Han? It's not like he moves around the country and you can never find him?” It was a weak argument, since she was just as guilty as he was of neglecting their child. “It wouldn't have mattered if you had been there.” she shut her eyes. “He was so far gone on pain killers, I doubt he remembers me being there all that much.” 

To his credit, Han at least looked guilty and contrite. “I didn't even know how bad it was until I talked to Ben in September.” He frowned over the edge of his mug. “Who's the British girl?”

“British girl?” Leia frowned, “who are you talking about?”

“When I called Ben the other day, a British sounding girl answered the call.” He set his mug down. “That's not Anna, is it?”

She set her mug down, thinking. “That's Rey, Ben's roommate.” She arched an eyebrow. “Consider yourself lucky, she just about took my head off back at the start of the month.” she looked away, realizing something almost as soon as she spoke the words. “I don't want to argue. We should just go our separate ways, amicably.” She took a sip of coffee, catching sight of the small jewelry box she'd placed there yesterday. She put her mug back down, picked up the box and held it out towards Han. “You should take this.”

He frowned at her, his hand closing around the box. “What is it?”

“It's the jewelry I inherited from your mother. I feel that I don't have a right to it.” She pulled her hand away. “This should go to Diana.” Leia was almost shocked at how civil she sounded. She should be screaming herself hoarse right now. 

Han leaned against the counter as he opened it, and she knew what he saw; the strand of pearls, a wedding set of rings, and the assortment of broaches that Madeleine Albright might have in her own collection. “I'd forgotten about most of these.” He held up a silver butterfly augmented with garnets. “You don't think Ben would want these? When he gets married?”

She blinked in response. “I don't believe so.” She wrapped her hands around her mug. “Somehow, I'm almost certain that the type of young lady Ben would marry wouldn't wear ornamental broaches. Pearls, maybe – but not the rest of it.” 

He dropped the pin and then shut the box, placing it on the counter. “When's moving day?”

“Week after next.” She sighed. “I need to have everything that's going to the Goodwill ready by Thursday. There's a truck coming this Wednesday to take Ben's things to Chicago.” She rubbed her temple. “Now that the closets are all done, I can tackle the living room.” 

“I noticed the dining room table was gone. Where'd it go?” He took a drink from his mug.

“I sent it to Luke. Sent the tablecloths too...” She frowned. “Didn't the ones your mother had go to her sisters?”

“Yeah.” He replied, looking into his cup instead of at her. “'Course, I have no idea where they are now. Really don't care either.” 

Leia shook her head and picked her mug back up, her gaze fixed on the window. It was snowing again.

*

Christmas Eve dinner was to be the inaugural meal for the new-old table at the Skywalker house. Rey set the last of the bright yellow Fiestaware plates in place, looking over at Elisa, who was putting round the silverware. The smell of garlic and butter seemed to permeate the house. The last time she'd had lasagna had been the night before she left for Chicago in August. The younger girl set down the last fork then surveyed their work.

“This table seems huge.” She wrinkled her nose. “Did my brothers put another leaf in it?”

“I think they did.” Rey frowned. “I know it didn't seem this large when I was wrapping gifts the other day.” She frowned, noticing something odd. “There's eleven places here, aren't there just ten of us?”

Elisa straightened, looking the table over. “Oh, that's for the unexpected guest. We always have one at every holiday meal. It's a tradition from Grandpa Bail's family. It's a Polish thing, it's in case we have a friend or family member stop by unannounced, so they can be included in the meal. Most families that do it only do it Christmas Eve, but I think somehow, it became a tradition to do it on all holidays. Just because it's Easter, doesn't mean you won't have unexpected company.” 

She gave the girl a look. “Organa doesn't sound remotely Polish.” 

“Well, there's a lot of people with ancestors from Eastern Europe with the surname Smith.” She wrinkled her nose at Rey, “and you certainly don't sound southern. Southern London, maybe.” 

“Point.” She answered as Mara came into the room carrying a long box, the inside of which she could see smaller boxes, the folded kind with a thin wire handle that reminded her of Chinese take-out. “I think we're just about ready in here.”

Mara nodded, and started setting the boxes at certain seats at the table, and Rey noted that they all had names on them, and she noted that Miss Padme had been placed at one end of the table, and Ben was in Luke's normal spot at the other end. At least, that's what she deduced from the names on the boxes set before the plates. She shrugged the notion off and went into the kitchen, grabbing bottles of salad dressing out of the fridge. Elisa ducked past her and grabbed the large bowl of salad off the counter.

The Skywalker's ranch-style home was sort of odd in Rey's mind. With ten people currently in it, she was certain that it should seem crowded, but it was strangely spacious. The only time it really seemed crowded in the past few days was when they ate meals, bunched around the table in the breakfast nook. The dining room was bordered by the kitchen at one end and a wide hallway on the other. Three of the bedrooms were on one side of the house, with the master being tucked on the other side of the kitchen. The living-family-great room in the middle of the house was partially open to the kitchen. The Christmas tree stood just to the left of the door to a porch. 

It was cozy; that was the word for it. 

She went back into the dining room just as all the boys came up from the basement along with Luke, all of them carrying packages and placing them in the living room. 

Mara called out to the house in general. “Hands washed and seats taken in five minutes, everyone. Dinner's almost ready.” 

Daisy came into the dining room carrying two baskets of bread, setting one at each end of the table. “What color are the ornaments this year mom?”

“It's a blue year.” the woman smiled, “End of the cycle. It'll start anew and be gold next year.” She went out of the room and Rey frowned. 

“Ornaments?” She shook her head. “What do you mean?”

“Bit of a tradition.” Luke answered as he came into the room, followed by Ben. “You've seen those ornaments for a baby's first Christmas, haven't you?” She nodded. “Well, you see, it all started with Anna. She didn't celebrate this holiday until she was three, and Daisy here, she was six.” The younger girl smiled absently then ducked back out of the room. “So, every year, all the kids get a new ornament with the number of which Christmas it is for them being here.”

Ben grinned. “It's my second one.” He wrinkled his nose. “Uncle Luke, why am I at the head of the table?”

“Because your grandmother is at the foot and it was her request that you be there and if you'd care to argue, I suggest strongly against it.” The man shot a grin at Rey, which she returned. “I'll wager the only person on this earth who'd dare try it is Gwendoline Phasma.” 

His nephew snorted. “Please, the two of them would never argue. Gwen would just want embarrassing stories about me, which, after a few Bloody Marys, Grandma would be more than happy to give.”

“Someone say my name?” Miss Padme swept into the room, giving her son a hug and then doing the same to Rey. “Honestly, I don't know where anyone got this idea that I'm some sort of fireball.” She looked from her son to grandson, who were both making an effort not to look at her as Elijah came into the room, carrying the large pan of lasagna. 

Ben snickered. “I'm sure it has nothing to do with the fact that you're the only person we know whom my mother is absolutely terrified of.”

*

The church was a mixture of scents that clashed terribly. It was also practically standing room only; Diana hadn't understood why they had needed to leave at seven for a eight-thirty service, until she saw the church parking lot. Then there was also the fact that both her aunt and uncle were in the choir. Looking over the edge of the loft, she could see crowd below, and kept herself occupied before the start of the service. She rested her arms on the rim, cutting off her view of at least half the people. Down there, people were hugging, shaking hands, happy in a general sort of way. 

She slowly looked around at some of the people standing, catching sight of a man in a suit leaning against the wall, a baby-car carrier at his feet. He kept looking down at it, and while she couldn't see the baby, she guessed it must be sleeping. He folded his arms, glancing at his watch. Diana wondered if he was waiting for someone. She looked past him to another pair leaning against the wall, slightly older kids who kept talking to a group in a pew. They must all be a family and there wasn't enough room for them all to sit. 

As she watched, a middle-aged woman rose from her seat and waved a pregnant woman over from the wall, pointing to the spot where she was. When the person who had been sitting next to her started to move closer to the edge, the first woman must have said something, because even from this distance, she could see the person move quickly back to where they were before the pregnant woman sat down. 

An altar server came out and started to light the candles. 

Diana looked back over towards the choir as there was a rustling and a woman sat down on the bench at the pipe organ. She straightened up, catching sight of her uncle, who was standing with the rest of the rest of the tenors, and he caught her eye and gave her a smile. She returned it the best she could. She went back to watching the people below and in front of her as the choir behind her began singing 'It Came Upon a Midnight Clear.' 

She wanted her mom. 

 

*

Luke watched as the garage door came down, making sure it met the concrete before shutting the door to the house, pushing it into place, as it had a tendency to stick. It was on his list of things to fix before the end of the month. The animals were secure for the night, everything was quiet outside, and with the lightly falling snow, he wasn't worried about waking up to any weather he and his family couldn't handle. Even though he knew everyone was inside, he still counted up the pairs of shoes in the mudroom as he took off his work boots and set them next to Mara's. He hung his Carhartt coat up, then flicked out the light in the mudroom. As he came into the kitchen, he noted that the only lights left in the living room came from the Christmas tree and the television.

“Someone still awake in there?” He walked into the living room, finding it all but deserted, until he looked over at the couch where Ben was fairly wedged into the corner, with Rey asleep next to him, her head against his collar, his arms around her, her arms around his waist.

Both of them were asleep.

Rather than rouse them from their slumber and send them off to their respective beds alone, he pulled a quilt out of the basket next to the couch, unfolded it and tucked the blanket around the pair as gently as he could. As he was lifting the covers over Rey's feet, he heard Ben mumble, then move slightly so his companion's head was perfectly placed under his chin. "Sleep tight, you two." 

Luke stepped back just as Arya loped into the room and jumped onto the couch, curling up near Rey's feet. He smiled. “And good night to you as well, little miss.” He picked up the remote, turned the television off, and walked quietly to his and Mara's room. 

The hall clock was striking eleven.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Layout of the Skywalker House - https://www.tumblr.com/dashboard/blog/soldierofhalla17/155301692529


	5. Christmas Morning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Guess who's coming for Christmas....

Rey wasn't certain what woke her up. She didn't remember falling asleep, just that the couch and Ben's shoulder had been incredibly comfortable, and given how many times she'd seen _A Christmas Story_ , she hadn't felt bad about closing her eyes. She shifted on the couch, a weight over her and then she felt movement next to her. There was a brush of lips against her forehead, and felt Ben shift next to her, a joint popping. “That sounded painful.”

“It's fine.” He answered, softly. “You want to stay here or go off to bed?”

She smiled and rubbed her cheek against his arm. “I like here. I've missed this.” 

“Me too.” He shifted again, and then Rey heard a soft thump somewhere to their left, and she tensed under the cover, and then heard Arya give off a small chirp. Then there was a rustling nose. “Get out of there, Little Miss!” His voice came out in an admonishing hiss. “You can play with those when they're open. You have to wait!”

She opened her eyes and looked over towards the noise, where Arya was batting at a large bow on one of the packages under the tree. “Those weren't there last I checked.” 

Ben chuckled. “Santa's been here, that's all.” As they watched, the cat gave up the bow and swished out of the room, heading for the bedrooms down the hall. More than likely, she was going to check on the house, much like she did in the apartment. “What time is it?”

As if on cue, the clock in the hallway tolled the hour; the four rings sounding louder than they were. She ran her hand along Ben's thigh, squeezing his knee. “Comfortable?”

“Mostly.” He nudged her, and she took the hint, sitting up as he straightened up from where he'd been all but wedged into the corner of the couch, several more of his joints popping as he did so, and she saw him grimace in the semi-darkness. Then he pulled his feet up off the floor, and she caught on to what he was doing, sitting forward so he could slide his legs behind her, laying down and as soon as he was mostly horizontal. His head was still on a throw pillow, while she rested hers against the smooth leather of the couch itself. “This is better.” His arm came around her, over the quilt they have been covered with, hugging her against him.

“It is.” She let out a worn sigh as she heard movement somewhere behind them and quickly shut her eyes, hearing a rustling noise back in the direction of the tree, and a soft thunk, then there was a chirping sound as Arya came back into the room.

“Oh, you're awake are you?” It was Mara. “You stay out of these, you hear?” 

Arya responded with a chirp that could have passed for a cross between indigence and innocence. 

Rey had to bite her lip to hold back her laughter and she heard Ben give off snort disgusted as an unconvincing snore. 

“I know you two are awake. Just don't do anything you wouldn't want small children to see you doing.” She chuckled and then there was another couple of rustling noises, and then the basement door opened and there was a soft groan of stairs.

“You behave yourself.” Ben mumbled against her ear, his breath hot against it. “Hear?”

“Since when did I become the instigator in this relationship? _You're_ the one who walked naked into _my_ art class.” She hissed, glad that in their current position, he couldn't tickle her. 

He chuckled and kissed the top of her head. “Says the girl who invited herself into the bathtub I was using. Besides, I did not walk naked into the classroom. I was wearing a robe.” 

“Point.” She shifted, rolling over so they were front to front, and rested her head against Ben's chest, listening to the even thump of his heart. “Still sleepy.” 

“Ditto.” The arm around her tightened and she let herself drift off, barely registering when Arya wormed her way under the quilt.

*

Leia checked her watch, asking herself for about the tenth time in as many hours what the hell she was doing. She'd sat in the kitchen, drinking coffee for about twenty minutes after her husband left, trying not to think; and then she realized that sitting alone and being miserable was one option, or she could actually do something about it. She'd thrown a bag together, made a reservation, set the alarm and drove off to the airport. Showing up unexpectedly at Luke's might not be the _best_ idea she'd ever had, but if she stayed at the house, she was just going to stay angry and upset. Not to mention, how many times had she been told that actions speak louder than words?

The only available seat on a flight to Chicago was the red-eye, and now she was waiting for her flight to Sioux Falls to begin boarding, which should be in the next hour. A rental car was waiting for her in South Dakota, and she took a breath before hitting the number for her brother's house, knowing that even at just after six, someone would be up in the house. 

One ring. 

Two rings.

“Merry Christmas, Skywalker Residence, may I help you?” It was Ben. 

“Merry Christmas, Ben.” She answered, swallowing. “It's your mom.” 

“I know your voice.” He didn't sound angry; more like surprised. “Uh, you do know that's it's six in the morning here, right?”

“Yes...” she took a breath, wondering what the hell was wrong with her. She'd stood up to her fair share of scumbag lawyers and their worthless clients, but this... this was harder than that. “I'm in Chicago, I'm on my way to De Smet.” She leaned against the window for support. “I have driving directions to the house, so don't worry about that.” 

“You're coming.... for Christmas.” He sounded like he didn't believe her. She didn't blame him. “Um... okay.” there was a rustling noise and she heard him speak, although it wasn't against the receiver. “Uncle Luke? My mom's on the phone.” 

“Is she okay?” He sounded worried.

“She's in Chicago.” Ben let out a snorting laugh. “Let's not tell grandma or anyone so they can be surprised.” 

“Surprised of what?” Luke now had the phone. “Leia, what's wrong?”

“Nothing. Nothing's wrong.” She swallowed. “I'm... I'm on my way there. I'm in Chicago now.” She swallowed. “Don't be angry with me. I just...”

“I'm not angry, sis. Just surprised.” He let out a breath. “you have directions on how to get here? It's quite a drive.” 

“I'll be fine, besides, I'm rather good at driving in snow, and I did a Map-Quest before I left Buffalo.” She smiled, looking out into the still dark morning.“I just... I was just...” How exactly did one say this? “Words only do so much. If I want to improve things, I should be proactive.” 

“What time should we expect you?” There was a rustling noise. “It's a two hour drive from the airport, or do your directions tell you that?”

“Told me.” She let out a half laugh. “I should be there, no delays, a little after one.” she pulled back from the glass, shouldering her bag and walking in front of the seats. “I haven't ruined plans, have I?” As far as impulsive ideas went, this was definitely in her top ten. 

“Not at all, Leia. We're not eating dinner until three, so you have plenty of time. Stay safe.” There was a pause. “And I'm with Ben, we're not telling the kids _or_ mom you're coming, just so they can be surprised.” He chuckled; the one that, every time she heard it, she could see their father perfectly; and hear his voice in that laugh. “This is going to be brilliant.” He hung up the phone and she was left staring at hers.

As Leia turned off her phone and dropped it into her bag, she was suddenly struck with the realization that this would be her first trip to the family farm in fourteen years; and there were five people waiting there – Elijah, Daisy, Liam, Elisa – and Rey – whom she had never met. “This is going to be fun.” She shook her head to clear it and then slid her phone into her pocket. “I need coffee.” 

*

Ben was rather impressed with how he kept his composure with the knowledge that his mother was on her way to De Smet. He also, surprisingly, wasn't angry. He was certain that he should feel angry about this; but he didn't – perhaps he was too shocked to be angry. He spat out the last of his toothpaste and rinsed the brush just as a knock started on the bathroom door. “Is that you, Elijah?” 

“Yeah.” His cousin replied. “You almost finished in there?”

He reached over and opened the door, letting Elijah into the room. “And people thought great-uncle Owen was strange for putting three bathrooms into this house.” 

“Well, it's not like he and Great Aunt Beru needed closet space.” The younger boy answered, shutting the door and ducking around him. “How many bathrooms are in that big house in Buffalo? Six?”

Ben laughed as he put his toothbrush back into its case. “Three and a half.” He paused, thinking. “Yeah. Three and a half. Four bedrooms and if it shows up on an episode of House Hunters, the whole of my building is going to hear me laughing.” He put his items into his toiletry bag, and zipped it shut just as Elijah turned on the shower. “I only watch that show on occasion.” 

“Sure you do.” his cousin retorted as Ben opened the door and slipped into the hallway, shutting the door firmly behind him. 

“Crazy.” He went back into the boys' room, dropping his bag on his suitcase and picking up a pair of socks. When he went into the living room, he found Rey trying in vain to braid her hair. “Something wrong?” He sat down on the couch and took the brush from her. “Is it church, Rey, or is it something else?”

“I've never been.” She answered. “Well, not to a Catholic service. The Damerons took me to services on the occasional Sunday.” she sighed as he started brushing out tangles in her hair. “They're some sort of Christian, they aren't Baptists, it just lasted for three hours.” 

“This should only be around an hour, if that.” He parted her hair into sections. “And don't worry, it's not all in Latin. What kind of braid do you want today? French? Dutch?”

“It's insane to me that you know all these braids.” Rey chuckled. “Reverse French?” 

“That works.” He adjusted the parts just as Elisa came into the room. “You want me to braid yours too?” 

Her eyes widened in response. “How is it _you_ can braid hair but Anna can't?”

“Go get your brush and some elastics.” Rey patted the spot on the couch in front of her. “I'll braid your hair while Ben braids mine.” 

“Be right back!” His cousin stated before ducking back into the hallway. 

“I'd like to take this moment to state that I'm glad that Daisy keeps her hair cut short.” Ben chuckled. “Or she might want a braid too.” 

“Nothing wrong with that.” Rey answered as Elisa came back into the room and took her seat in front of her. “I may not know what's going on with the mass, but I'm fairly certain I'll know the songs.” 

“Well, isn't this some shade of adorable?” Grandma stood in the hall, looking the three of them over. “Benjamin, where did you learn to braid hair?”

“YouTube.” He answered, perfectly honest. “I believe it's a highly underrated skill for a man to have.” 

She chuckled, walking past them and into the kitchen. “Who called here around six? Wasn't your mother, was it?”

Ben shook his head. “Scam artist, actually. If it hadn't been so early, I'd have told them off in Dutch or let Uncle Luke do it in Spanish.” He chuckled. “Person trying to tell us there was something wrong with our Fiber Network. There isn't even Google Fiber available in the whole of South Dakota. Or North, for that matter. Nearest place is Kansas City, and that's a good seven hours from here.” 

“They have that in Austin.” Rey offered. “There were some kids in my class who decided to go there for college just based on that.”

“For Google Fiber?” Elisa made an odd noise. “That's like going to the University of Hawaii for the weather.” 

“I'll take blizzards and ice over possible tsunamis, volcanic eruptions and tropical cyclones, thank you.” Rey stated. “Even if I did forget a coat.”

Ben snickered. “For all their teasing about Chicago, Poe and Finn are also at fault. Did they never once tell you to make sure you had a coat before you left Texas?”

“Poe gave me a hoodie and that was about it.” She sighed and he could see her working the brush through Elisa's hair. “Why don't you put this in two braids before you go to sleep? It'll keep it from getting tangled.”

Grandma came back into the room holding her coffee mug and sat down in the rocker next to the fireplace. “Are you all right Ben? You look rather tense.”

“I always look like this.” He offered, working on parting a section of Rey's hair. “And before you ask, the last time I went to mass was the Sunday before Advent started, and before that was All Saints Day.”

“Cheeky.” She took a sip from her mug. “I know you can't make it every weekend, therefore, I will appreciate the effort.” 

“Thank you.” He shrugged absently, keeping his focus on Rey's hair and letting the idea of his mother being here soon settle in. If this was her making an effort, well, it'd be cruel of him to turn it away. Besides, it was Christmas and he wasn't about to ruin anyone else's holiday with the drama that was the Organa-Solo family. A small, mean, part of him kept going back to the fact that wherever he was, his father was spending this holiday alone. Well, maybe not so mean; but it'd been his lot for the past five years, so maybe, just _maybe_ it was okay to feel some satisfaction in that.

*

The plane was nowhere near full, or even half full, and to Leia, it looked as if twelve of the plane's twenty passengers were all military. She took a sip of orange juice, glancing at the man sitting on the other side of the isle, who kept looking at his watch, then forward, then out the window. It made her check her own watch; it was almost ten-thirty. She pinched the bridge of her nose, trying to think how this was going to play out.

She was not going to argue with anyone. She would be polite, calm and collected even if it drove her mad. This had been her choice, to just up and leave Buffalo, rather than sit in the house and brood. Really, she'd been stretching out the packing, and it was starting to get monotonous. It'd surprised her at how many things she could just toss into the donation stack with ease; or just gathering up that jewelery and handing it over to Han, stating that it belonged to Diana. 

A slight jolt of turbulence shook her from her thoughts and caused her heart to leap into her throat for a moment, and then the air calmed. 

It wasn't Ben that actually worried her; it was his roommate and her sister-in-law that had her feeling nervous. She drained the last of her orange juice just as the 'fasten seat belt' sign dinged and the captain's voice came over the loudspeaker.

“Ladies and Gentlemen, we're beginning our approach into Sioux Falls. Weather is bright and clear, with the temperature down at twenty degrees, with a slight wind. At this time, we ask you to discontinue use of any electronic equipment and stow any items you may have taken out during the flight, and we should have you on the ground in about fifteen minutes.” 

The flight attendant came by with a trash bag, and she handed the man her empty cup, before checking her seat belt and sitting back in her seat. Leia could see farmland out the window, at least, she assumed it was farmland under all that snow. She hugged herself, feeling a little more relaxed. She had no idea what there would be for dinner; the last time she'd spend Christmas at her brother's house, they'd had a large brunch spread; she could remember Anna and Ben singing some Disney song and the pair of them passing out in sugar shock after eating half of the doughnuts. 

She closed her eyes. “It's going to be fine, it's going to be _fun_.” She shook her head, chuckling. The fact that her son and brother weren't telling anyone what was going on, well... this was going to be interesting to say the least. Then another thought came to her and she opened her eyes, not certain if she should be horrified or not. “I'm going to have to share a room with my _mother._ ” 

*

Christmas Morning in the Skywalker family, following church, was something Rey was not prepared for. All she had seen of such events had been in movies and on television; she wasn't even sure what she was expecting. She'd seen characters just tear into a pile of packages and the floor vanished under wrapping paper. Once everyone was settled into the house and a fresh pot of coffee had been made, and the gas fireplace turned on; it began.

Or rather, it began with the exchange gifts, which, once they were distributed among the kids, were opened in age order, youngest to oldest, and when the next round started, it would go oldest to youngest. She'd worried over what to get Daisy, not knowing too much about the girl and all Ben had told her was that his middle cousin liked to cook and read. So Rey had picked out a book that she had always loved, _Ballet Shoes_ and Pop!Funko of Hermione Granger. 

“Thank you, Liam!” Elisa grinned, running up to her brother and hugging him. Rey hadn't seen what she'd gotten.

“You're welcome.” Liam offered, returning the hug. 

Ben stood up from where he was sitting next to her and went over to the tree, coming back to the group. “Merry Christmas.” He said as he handed a package to Liam. “It might be a little too big, because I had to ask someone else in the store for a size reference, and he was a little taller than you.” 

“As long as he's shorter than you, I think it'll be okay.” His cousin offered as Ben sat back down and he started undoing the wrapping. 

“I think almost everyone's shorter than Ben.” Anna answered, grinning. 

Rey chuckled, but saw a flicker in his eyes; the look she was used to seeing when he was resolutely trying to pretend that something wasn't bothering him. Since everyone was focused on Liam, she reached over and squeezed his knee, and he smiled at her.

“Oh, wow!” Liam stood up, holding out the Chicago Blackhawks jersey that Ben had gotten him. “This is awesome!” He looked over at Ben. “Thanks!” He tugged it on over his clothes, the hem about two inches from his knees, and the sleeves came down over his hands. 

“Okay, so it's not too big.” Ben laughed, “and you're welcome.” He rounded on Anna. “And I'll have you know that Gwen is taller than me.” 

“Especially in heels.” Rey quipped as she stood and went and pulled her gift to Daisy from under the tree. She grinned. “I didn't think it was possible for anyone to make him look short.” She took the girl's gift over to her. “Merry Christmas, Daisy.” 

“Thank you, Rey.” the girl answered as she took it. She gave the box an experimental shake as Rey sat down. “Well, it's too light to be a cast iron dutch oven.” 

Mara snickered. “What would do with one of those if you had one?”

“Make a better soup.” the girl retorted, pulling off the bow. “Or something.” She pulled off the paper and opened the box, her eyes brightening at the sight of the contents. “Oh cool!” She held up the Pop Figure. “How'd did you find out who my favorite character in Harry Potter was?”

“I remember these things, Dais!” Ben interjected, indignantly just as Arya pounced on the wrapping from Liam's gift.

“I've not read this either.” She looked at the book. “Thank you, Rey.”

“Oh, you're welcome.” She grinned as Anna got up to retrieve a gift and Mara stood and went into the kitchen. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Ben glance at his watch, but she shrugged it off. There was a soft groan as the oven door opened and then a soft bang as it was shut. She wasn't entirely sure of what the menu for dinner was, but she had a feeling it involved at least two kinds of casserole. Her phone buzzed her in back pocket and she pulled it out, glancing at the text message from Finn.

_Merry Christmas Peanut! Skype @ 8?_

She quickly replied as Elijah exclaimed over his present.

_Merry Christmas – will let you know. Opening gifts here._

She tucked the phone back into her pocket as Daisy stood to get her sister's gift. 

Arya came over and jumped into the space between her and Ben, nudging her head against Ben's arm. He reached down and rubbed the cat's head, not paying attention to anything but the animal. Rey knew she wasn't imagining things; he was focusing on keeping himself calm and collected. She would love to pull him outside and ask what the hell was the matter, but she knew that drawing attention to himself would be the very last thing he wanted.

“Merry Christmas, Rey.” Elijah stood in front of her, looking sheepish as he held out a long, flat, package.

“Thank you, Elijah.” She took the box, it was slightly heavy and she undid the wrapping, noticing that the boy looked rather embarrassed. “What's wrong?”

“They all told me it was a dumb gift.” He gestured towards his sisters. 

She pushed the paper onto the floor and pulled off the lid to reveal a heavy-duty multi-media sketchbook, and a sixty-four count box of Crayola crayons. “This is awesome.” She grinned at him. “Can never have too many sketchbooks, and I needed a new box of crayons.” She stood up and gave him a hug. “Thank you!” 

Now Elijah was full-on blushing. “You're welcome.” He mumbled and went back to his seat as Elisa jumped up and ran to the tree, returning with an odd shaped box and came over to her cousin.

“Merry Christmas, BB.” There was something rather unnerving about her grin. 

“Thank you, Elisa.” He pulled the bow off, and promptly stuck it on Rey's head. “Since we have no Santa hats.” he grinned and she wrinkled her nose at him while he worked on the ribbon and pulled off the paper. Rey rubbed on Arya's head as he lifted the lid, just enough to peek inside and then he shot Elisa a look. “Where did you find this?” 

She wouldn't make eye-contact with her cousin as she looked down at the floor, clearly worried. “I found it in a trunk in the basement and Dad said yes when I asked if I could give it to you.” 

He pushed back the lid and pulled back the tissue to reveal a wooden case, about as long and wide as a laptop and Ben gently lifted it from the box, running his fingers along the wood, and he looked about ready to cry. “Thank you, Elisa.” He sucked at his bottom lip and he lifted the lid, and started to laugh as he removed a box of band-aides. As he shut the box again, Rey caught sight of a pair of initials burned into the wood: _A.J.S._

*

Leia sat in the car for a full minute after turning it off, trying to calm her breathing. She had made excellent time, and was rather proud of herself for not getting lost on the confusing roads of rural South Dakota. She also couldn't believe how well the roads were plowed and salted. She took off her sunglasses, leaving them in the console before pulling the keys from the ignition and dropping them into her purse, gathering just that one item up before stepping out into the cold afternoon. 

The farm still smelled the same to her; hay and livestock, although it wasn't as pungent as it would be in the summer. Even though the garage door was open, she went to the front, almost laughing at the doormat that read “THE NEIGHBORS HAVE BETTER STUFF” and took another calming breath as she rang the doorbell. Through the door, she could hear laughter and she managed to smile just as she heard the locks being thrown back. She was expecting the door to be opened by one of the kids, or her brother. 

Instead, her mother stood there, her expression nothing short of shocked. 

“Merry Christmas Mom.” Her voice cracked as she spoke. 

Padme's expression changed in a heartbeat and she pulled the door open wider, pulling her into a tight hug. “Merry Christmas, baby girl.” She sounded ready to cry, she pulled away, setting a hand on her cheek. “Who knew about this?”

“Luke and Ben.” She answered, “as for not telling anyone, that was Ben's idea.” 

“Hm.” She stepped back so Leia could come into the house. It smelled of something rich cooking and strong coffee. They walked past the dining room and into the living room, where clearly no one had noticed that they had one more person in the house. “Look who's turned up just in time for Christmas afternoon?” Padme's voice carried and every one in the room stopped and looked at the two of them.

Leia could see that Ben and her brother were the only ones who didn't look shocked. The thin girl sitting next to her son, whom she knew had to be Rey, mouth actually _dropped_. Her sister-in-law looked just about as stunned, which was to say nothing of Anna's expression, which was almost a mirror image of Rey's. 

The sound of the clock in the hall ticking was suddenly very loud. 

Ben rose to his feet and came over to her, and to Leia's total surprise, pulled her into a hug. “Merry Christmas, Mom.” 

“Merry Christmas, BB.” She replied, returning the embrace.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I struggled with this. I can't make everything all right again in a single chapter, and it's not all right. There's still a long way to go for Ben and Leia - but, since as Leia stated, 'actions speak louder than words' and she could say she was going to change all she wanted, but this her making an effort.
> 
> Ben appreciates that.


	6. Christmas at Dusk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to the insanity that is eleven people in a ranch house on Christmas afternoon.

If you had asked Rey about the possibility of Ben's mother showing up at the Skywalker Farm on Christmas, she would have put it down at less than a sixteenth of a percent, and that was being generous. There had been an old photograph of the woman hanging in the hallway of the house, so at lest she knew what she looked like – or rather, how she had looked when Ben was eleven. Right now, she had a slightly exhausted look about her; the kind that travel causes, and she was also clearly overwhelmed. Of course she was, this was the first time she'd met two of her nieces and nephews. She was sort of relieved for everyone that despite the number of them, the Skywalkers were a relatively quiet family.

Ben was wisely staying in the kitchen; and she came along – she didn't trust herself not to go off in another fit of righteous anger, like she had a few weeks ago on the phone. “You okay?” His voice was soft, just as a burst of laughter came from the other room.

“I feel like I should be asking you that.” She muttered, taking out the filter on the coffeepot and dumping the used grounds, before refilling it and then placing it back in the machine. “I can't believe she...” She poured the remainder of the coffee into Ben's mug before making the next batch. “No wonder you were tense all morning.” 

He gave her a smile. “It's fine, Rey. Really.” He opened the fridge and took out a package of mini-bell peppers. “This is her making an effort, and just her being here is a huge step. The same sort of steps I take by going to Doctor Andres.” He dropped the bag on the counter, then added another of baby carrots, a container of cherry tomatoes, and a large baggie of celery. “She might not know what she set herself up for, coming here.” Ben opened a cupboard and took out a large platter. “Those five kids in there have been too well behaved for too long.” 

“Benjamin Bail, are you talking about my sweet, precious children?” Mara came into the kitchen and took a potholder off the counter before she opened the oven. “You know they'd never do anything wrong.”

“Yeah, that's what you told the historical society, the new principal at the high school, and that truck driver at the Dakota State Fair who entered that pie eating contest against Elijah.” Ben scoffed. “Honestly.” 

“I haven't heard about the pie eating contest.” Rey chuckled, folding her arms and watching as Mara checked something in a glass dish. “When is it? I think I might want to enter.” 

“Early September.” She pushed the rack back in the oven. “You could enter artwork, if you like. I have the list of all the events and contests in the office.” She stood up, and tossed the holder onto the counter. “How's that veggie tray coming along?” 

“On it.” Ben turned back to his work and Rey noticed his hand shook slightly as he opened the container of tomatoes. 

“We should put another leaf in the table.” Mara said, more to the stove than to either of them. She had gotten out a saucepan and poured something into it. “I'll get Liam and Elijah...”

“I can do it.” Rey put in. “Where are they?”

“Basement.” Mara turned slightly. “They're leaning against the wall, right past the stairs. I'm going to find a better place for them once the holidays are over.”

“No problem.” She turned and walked into the other room, going down the stairs, realizing that while she'd been here nearly a week, she'd not been in the basement once. When she reached the bottom of the steps, she flipped the light-switch, revealing that the Skywalker's basement was mostly unfinished. On the far side of the room were a couple of sagging couches, sitting atop rugs that were threadbare. Against the wall across from her, was an odd looking display and she walked closer to it. The metal panel ran from ceiling down to a desk, and it was covered with dials and switches. 

There was another room off to the side, which might have been the house's fifth bedroom, but it was full of what looked like chests full of fabric and quilting frame stood in the center, although she couldn't tell much about the design of it. “Must be for Anna.” She looked over at the dial panel again, noticing a painted chalkboard square on the wall next to it. In big, bright blue block letters over whatever had been on there to begin with were the words – CUBS WIN!!! she grinned as she took up one of the leaves, using her elbow to turn out the lights. “Just take this into the dining room?” She asked as she came back to the kitchen.

“Yes, please.” Mara answered, not looking at her, her focus was on whatever was in the saucepan. 

Shrugging, she carried the leaf into the dining room where Anna had already removed the tablecloth and cover, and pulled away a few of the chairs. “I could have done that.” 

“It's no problem.” She gave her a look, and her voice lowered. “Don't act like you're not also shocked as all get out that my Aunt Leia's here.” 

She frowned as the two of them worked the table open. “We're all surprised, I think.” 

The girl smirked. “Yeah.” She shot a look towards the kitchen. “If Ben has a nervous breakdown, I'm afraid you're going to have to take a number.” 

Rey returned the look. “I'll fight you for third place.” She hefted the leaf up and Anna grabbed her side, and they lowered it into place. “We're going to have to grab chairs from the kitchen.” 

“I think that's a given.” She pursed her lips. “I have no idea how to set this table for twelve. Do you?”

She shook her head. “I've not set the table, just cleared it.” They pushed the ends back towards each other, locking the leaf in place. “I don't believe this. This table looks twice as big as it did five minutes ago.” 

“Crazy.” Anna unfolded the cover and cloth and Rey grabbed the other end so she could help straighten it. “I say we put the adults on one side, me and my siblings on the other and you and Ben at the head and foot. We just need to make sure Aunt Leia is on your end.” She grinned. “And it'll keep you and Ben from making silly faces at each other when you think no one is watching.”

Rey felt her face flush. “I didn't think it was obvious.” 

“It's not – well, not in the way you think. By acting like there's nothing, the two of you are letting those of us who are watching know that there _is_ something.” She swept out of the room and went back to join the others in the living room.

“Great.” She mumbled as she returned to the kitchen, where Ben was finishing up the vegetable tray and Mara was setting the lid on the saucepan. “How do you want the table set?”

“How Anna suggested.” She replied. “Make the middle seat on the hallway side the empty one.” 

She picked up the stack of bright red dinner plates. “Got it.” 

*

Leia wondered how her brother could keep pace with his five children when the two of them were the same age and she and Ben might as well be on different planets. She figured it had to do with the fact that Luke essentially worked from home, as did Mara – and the kids all helped. It was a strange concept to her; but not one that she could fault anyone for taking. It was something she was insanely envious of, but at the same time, if anyone deserved an amazing family like this, it was her brother. The other thing she was aware of was that since this was her first visit to the farm in over a decade and her first meeting of four of the kids, she was 'new' and hadn't heard all their stories a hundred times.

“You want some more coffee, Aunt Leia?” Daisy's voice broke her from her thoughts and she lowered her mug.

“No thank you, I want to sleep tonight.” She chuckled. “I forgot how strong your father makes it.” she caught Anna rolling her eyes but chose not to comment. “I didn't sleep much on the plane.” 

“There are two types of people in this world – those that can't sleep on planes, and liars.” Elijah interjected. “The seats are too small.” 

“Yeah, and when's the last time you were on a plane?” Liam shot at him. “Only one you've been on was at the state fair two years ago when they had that old DC-9 on display.” 

“It's no so much the size of the seats, it's that you can't get your legs in a good position.” Leia offered. “It's one of the reasons I don't want to go to Australia, that and being on a plane for eighteen straight hours...plus the time it takes you to fly to the West Coast...” she shook her head. “No, thank you.” 

“Honey, you haven't even been to Hawaii.” Her mother stood, taking their empty coffee mugs. “I'm going to go check and see how dinner's coming along. Anna, would you join me please?” 

“But...” The girl looked from her grandmother to her aunt, losing face when she saw they both had identical looks of 'we know what you're up to' on them and quickly obeyed, just as Ben came back out of the kitchen, carrying a can of ginger ale. 

“Smile Anna Kinley, it's Christmas.” He said to his retreating cousin's form and he shrugged, taking a seat in front of the window. “Is she okay?”

“I think she's still in shock, Ben.” Mother stated, shaking her head. “Not that I blame her.” 

“Mom, don't start.” Luke interjected, then looked over at the couch, where Liam, Daisy, and Elisa were sitting, doing a terrible job of trying to not look at their father. “Unless there's been some sort of wager made and she's lost money to one or more of you.” 

All three of the children looked even more guilty. 

“How do you do that?” She rounded on her brother. “does this sort of thing happen often?”

“I was raised by lawyers too, sis. And yes...” He looked over at Ben. “Do you know what's going on?”

“No, but I don't think the guilty party is in the room.” He smirked. “Because it's usually Liam, not Elijah, who avoids crowds.” 

“Hm.” Luke frowned. “Possibly. I'll get this sorted out before the end of the day.” 

Elisa held up her hands. “I don't know anything. I didn't hear anything, you can't prove I know what's going on!”

Daisy grabbed a throw pillow and slapped it against her sister's face. “Quiet!”

“Ow!” The younger girl groaned and Liam promptly vacated the couch and came over to sit by his aunt.

“Is it always like this?” Leia muttered to her nephew, who looked tense. 

“They've been on their best behavior for too long. They were going to snap before the day was out anyway.” He ducked his head as Elisa sprang from the couch and went to hide behind Ben. “That's not going to work...” 

“Elisa Bigmouth!” Daisy jumped after her sister, her face pink.

“Braceface!” The smaller girl shot back, using her cousin for a shield.

“Hey!” Luke stood up. “Enough. Elisa, go find your brother, it's almost time to eat. Daisy, go help in the kitchen.” Both girls glared at each other as they went their separate ways, and he shook his head. “Mara, I'd like to present argument number forty-eight as to why we can't have a sixth kid in this house.” He headed for the kitchen.

“Rey's got a friend in Texas who could use a home for the summer.” Ben interjected. “Rey, Finn doesn't eat that much, does he?”

“What about Finn?” Rey came into the room, looking around, somewhat confused.

“I'm going to try and convince my uncle to adopt Finn.” He grinned and stood up, going over to her. “From what you told me about him, he'd fit right in and he'd only be here part of the year. Besides, we've encountered enough coincidences in the past two months that I would not be surprised in the least if he and Liam are related already.”

“Finn's over eighteen, I think it's a moot point.” She replied, shaking her head.

“Not really.” Leia cleared her throat. “Granted, it's highly rare, but it has happened. Most often in cases in which adult children wish to make their stepfathers their legal parent.” 

Mom coughed. “Well, it's hardly fair to Finn if we're here talking about his possible future without him knowing about it.” She stood up and went over to Rey, giving the girl a side hug. “I believe he should be asked first, before anything.” She went into the dining room. 

Ben whispered something to Rey and the girl went slightly pink before the two of them turned and followed his grandmother. 

Leia looked at her nephew. “Are holidays always this exciting?”

Liam blinked. “This is only my third Christmas here, so I can't be honest with that answer yet.” He stood up and held out his hand, helping her to her feet.

“Thank you.” She sighed. “I though it was a little too quiet around here for a house with eleven people in it.” She followed him into the dining room.

*

Ben leaned back against the closet door of the boy's bedroom, taking several deep breaths. He just needed a little time to be alone, recharge and calm himself. It'd been the same every day since he got here; he just needed a handful of minutes to himself, and this was pretty much the only place where he could do it, without resorting to locking himself in a bathroom. Predictably, Arya had followed him and had set herself down in his lap as soon as he was sitting. He rubbed the cat affectionately behind the ears. “What, you've had enough excitement too?” 

She chirped in response, pressing her head against his palm.

“That bad, huh?” He chuckled. “Yeah, we're not used to people, are we?” He grimaced as his phone started vibrating in his back pocket. “Now what?” He pulled it out, taking care not to upset the cat and shook his head at the caller-id. “Of course.” He cleared his throat before answering. “Merry Christmas, Gwen.” 

“Merry Christmas to you as well.” His friend sounded a little too chipper. “How are you?”

“Pretty good. Into the spiked eggnog?” Arya sat up in his lap, pressing her front paws against his collarbone. “Arya says hello, and that you better not be driving anywhere.”

“Oh, I won't. Leslie's youngest brother has already confiscated our keys and hid them somewhere.” She coughed. “How are you, really?”

“Worn out. A lot of days of being social in a row are draining.” He sighed. “And, my mom's here.”

Gwen made a hacking, coughing noise. “I'm sorry, did I just hear that your _mother_ showed up?”

“Yeah, yeah she did.” He went back to rubbing Arya's back. “I think my cousins are keeping her occupied. She arrived this afternoon. I think I was in too much shock to actually be angry.”

“Well, that's that then.” There was another noise he couldn't quite make out, “no, no more for me, thank you. Just coffee. I'm sorry, where were we?”

“You were in disbelief over my mother's appearance. Don't worry, you're not alone.” He grinned. “The look on Aunt Mara's face was _priceless_ , but Anna's was even better.” He let out a long sigh, not so much annoyed at Gwen for calling, but that he answered. He should have left his phone with Rey. “How was your Christmas?”

“Typical. I'm starting to think that my parents need to have a talk with Leslie's. They still can't quite comprehend the fact that the two of us don't want children.” She let out a soft groan. “It's not that we dislike children, it's the fact that we don't have the time. I feel bad enough when I can't spend time with Alder, and he's a dog!” 

He thought for a moment. “Well, Leslie is one of what, six kids? And how many nieces and nephews do you two have again?”

“Over a dozen.” She coughed, “We should start saying Alder is our kid – Arya's practically yours.”

He chuckled as the cat in question butted her head against his chin. “I think she heard you.” He paused. “Are you hiding from the family then?”

“I just needed some peace for a dozen minutes. Thought I'd take the time to see how your holiday was going.” There was clunk and then he heard her take a deep breath. “Ben, do you remember when I mentioned I thought you were being followed?”

He snickered. “Yes, and I told you that you were paranoid.” 

“Well, maybe I am, but I saw the man whom I'd seen around the same area as you across the street from my parents house a few days ago.” He could hear her take a sip of coffee. “Or maybe it's just coincidence. You don't know anyone by the name of Anslan, do you?”

Ben wasn't sure if he dropped his phone or not. For some reason, he couldn't hear Gwen's voice anymore. His ears had a buzzing noise in them, and the room around him went gray. He could feel Arya in his lap, her normally placid chirps now sounding shrill. Anslan. _My name is Diana Anslan-Solo,_ what's yours? The man in the blue car. Where had he seen it? How many times had he seen it? His stomach turned over, seeing that gray coat again and again in his mind. On campus, at work, in the cat food isle at Jewel – outside Dr. Andres's office. 

Anslan.

He fell forward onto his knees, catching himself with his hands, upsetting Arya, who let out a yowl, but then she was back. The noise she was making, fuck, she sounded the way he felt. Panic. 

There was a loud bang from somewhere, and then felt someone pull his hair back from his face and shove a trash can underneath him; and not a moment too soon as his stomach emptied itself. He gagged, coughing as he took a hold of the can and a hand started rubbing his back; Rey's.

“Just breathe, Ben.” Her voice sounded like it was coming from the end of a tunnel. “It's all right.” 

He winced as more of his dinner came up. Fucking lovely. It'd been such a good meal too; getting sick and looking like such weak idiot. All over a stupid name. He sniffled and gagged on bile before he spat into the trashcan. “I'm sorry.”

“Don't you dare apologize!” Rey smoothed down his hair. “It's not your fault.” She pulled him into a sit. “Finished?” She indicated the can.

“I think so.” He grimaced and looked up towards the door to see his mother standing there, holding Rey's phone. She looked ready to murder someone.

“Oh I can think of a few reasons why he would.” She said into the phone in an icy tone. “But it's inexcusable.” She stepped to the side as Elijah came into the room, carrying a bottle of water. “I want you to send me the picture you took.”

“Here.” His cousin handed him the bottle, then looked down into the trashcan. “Dude.”

“I know. I'll clean it up.” Ben replied, taking a sip. “Thank you.” 

“It's fine.” He left the room, looking worried.

“It's bullshit, whatever it is.” Mom's voice calmed a fraction. “Don't start, Gwendoline, you did the right thing.” She lowered the phone slightly. “You doing better, Ben?”

He nodded, taking another sip of water. “I'm done.” He had no sooner settled into a sit than Arya was in his lap, nudging him with her head. “I'm okay.” He muttered, rubbing the animal behind the ears.

“We'll get to the bottom of this.” She made that disgusted sigh that Ben was all to familiar with; the one she had made at him numerous times, but he could tell that this time, it wasn't. “No, you can't throw my soon-to-be ex-husband down the garbage chute.” Her whole expression changed. “Why not? Because my brother has already offered the use of his shotgun and his neighbor's backhoe!” 

“I'm sorry.” Ben didn't look at Rey as he took another sip of water. “me and my stupid drama.”

“Don't start!” Rey said at the same time his mother did.

He spluttered. “Okay, that was creepy.” He coughed and took another drink of water as Rey swept his hair back off of his forehead. “This is not how I wanted to spend the rest of my Christmas.” 

“All right, Gwen. Don't worry about it, you didn't know.” Mom let out a breath. “Merry Christmas to you too.” She hung up the phone and handed it to Rey. “You all right Ben?”

“I think so.” He leaned back against the closet door again. “I think I lost my phone around here.” He ran a hand through his hair. “Stupid panic attacks.”

Leia rubbed her temple. “Why did I stay married to that man for so long?”

“Tax purposes.” Ben answered, automatically, then winced. He'd never actually said it out loud to his mother.

“You're probably right.” She pulled out one of the desk chairs and sat down, pinching the bridge of her nose. “This is not how I thought this day would end.” 

Rey wrapped an arm around his shoulders, not looking at his mother. “Just remember to breathe, okay?”

He nodded, taking another swallow of water. “And here I thought I was imagining seeing that guy in the gray coat.” 

“Or you might have thought you just kept seeing the same coat on different people.” Mom shook her head and folded her arms. “Do you know who he's talking about, Rey?”

Rey frowned, and her eyes narrowed slightly. “I think I do. Because I remember seeing the man walk past the door of Jaipur's, then abruptly turn around and come in after looking in.” She looked over at him. “I'm sorry, but given how tall you and Gwen are, it's hard to miss you two.” 

He snorted. “It'd be nice to know how long he's been at this.” He took another drink of water. “I suppose I get all the maturity points for just merely looking up Diana's uncle on the Northwestern University website and then not contacting him, because I thought it'd be creepy.”

“He's the creep.” Mom shook her head, her brown eyes glittering. “We also don't have enough information yet. Let's hope he didn't get a new coat for Christmas.” 

Ben let out a weak chuckle. “Are you making a _joke?”_

“What?” She looked affronted. “I'm being perfectly serious.” 

Rey snickered. “I know that expression.” She looked from his mother to him. “You make the same one _constantly.”_

Arya jumped out of his lap and padded over to his mom, sniffing at her once before reaching up with her front paws to rest on her knee, chirping loudly. 

Leia reached down and gave the cat a slow rub behind the ears. “You are such a good kitty.” She looked over at Ben. “Well, it's not as bad as the Christmas when you were fifteen and nearly everyone on the ship came down with food poisoning.” 

“What?” Rey gasped. “How?”

“We didn't.” He grinned, taking another sip of water. “Because we didn't eat the bouillabaisse.” he frowned, “but I can't remember why we didn't.”

“The other soup was borscht and we were in Russia. Why would you choose to spend a holiday in a foreign country and then not have a traditional holiday staple of that country?” She made a face. “It was amazing from what I remember.” 

“I've never had it.” Rey squeezed his shoulder. “You going to be okay?”

He nodded. “I'm good.” 

There was a knock on the door and they all turned to see Elisa standing there. “Hey. You guys want to join us for hot chocolate and cookies? Dad says you can have yours spiked Rey, since he knows you're not going to be driving.” 

She coughed, “I don't drink. I've seen all to often what it does to people.” Slowly, a rather impish smile came across her face and Ben swallowed hard. He knew that expression.

“What are you thinking of doing?” He gave her a wary look.

Rey glanced at her watch then grinned. “Well, since I've pretty much met all of Ben's family, I think it's time you all meet mine.” She looked back over at Elisa. “Would you go grab my laptop out of your room? I left it on Daisy's desk. Meet us in the dining room.”

“No problem!” She turned and went up the hallway.

Ben took a drink of water. “Who's got the scariest voice when angry? Someone has to fuss at Poe and Finn for not making sure you had a coat.” 

“It was summer then!” she spluttered.

“That's not an excuse!” His mother interjected. “The DMV asks you where the rear defrost is when you take your driving test, they don't care if it's ten below or a hundred and ten! And being in Texas isn't an excuse either.” She coughed, trying to regain her composure. “We should have your grandmother do it. Goodness knows, she can reduce even the most stone-hearted person into a quivering bowl of jelly.” 

He let out a breath. “Oh this is going to be fun.” He slowly stood, wincing at the popping joints. “I'm going to clean this up first.” He indicated the trashcan. 

“Was that a yes or a no on the hot chocolate?” Anna called from the doorway. “Lisy didn't have an answer.”

“I think I'll just have some tea.” He grimaced. “Don't trust my stomach with much right now.” 

“Grandma's having tea too.” She looked around, “Aunt Leia, Rey?”

“I'm always up for hot chocolate.” Rey squeezed his arm after she stood. “I think your cousin could also use some toast.” 

“Rey.” He shook his head. “I don't...” 

“Crackers. Something to settle that stomach of yours.” She shook his head and led him out of the room. “Come on, one foot in front of the other.” 

He didn't bother to argue with her. He was too worn out and rather ashamed that he'd gotten sick again. All over something so damn stupid. Thank god he was scheduled to see Doctor Andres in three days. Ben wasn't entirely sure how, but he was certain that the down he had been doing his best to avoid was going to slam into him in the same manner that car had back in June. 

And there was nothing he could do to prevent it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Leia Organa - mostly absent parent, until you threaten her baby. Then she's downright deadly.
> 
> Kudos and comments are love.
> 
> Come say hi! on Tumblr, @soldierofhalla17.


	7. Christmas: The Conclusion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The end of a rather nice Christmas at the Skywalker farm.

Christmas at the Damerons was something Finn was not prepared for. While Poe had told him over and over that it wasn't a 'big deal' in his family, he was about ready to call his boyfriend a liar. He should have known better when they had decked the house in lights back in November. It'd started yesterday, on Christmas Eve when Mrs. Dameron had had the two of them help her make tamales. Dozens upon dozens of tamales. More than he'd ever seen in his life; he'd stopped counting batches after they put half a dozen in a Ziplock and into the freezer to mail off to Rey in Chicago on Monday. 

Then the extended family started to show up. 

By the end of the night, Finn was certain he'd met every person in Poe's family, from his great-grandmother to his second cousin twice removed. 

Christmas Day was spent in another flurry of activity and now, now he was glad to just sit down with a cold bottle of soda and a bowl full of Chex Mix. He adjusted his laptop, the drone of the dishwasher in the kitchen the loudest sound in the house; Mrs. and Mr. Dameron were in the family room watching the _Doctor Who_ Christmas Special, and while he and Poe would have liked to have joined them, he'd made this plan to talk to Rey, and he was going to keep it. “You ready?” He called to Poe, getting the Skype set up.

“I'm coming, I'm coming.” Poe came into the dining room, carrying his own bowl and soda. “Glad we're in the same time zone.”

“There is that.” He saw the indicator that he had a call on-screen. “Who knows, maybe we'll finally get to talk to Ben. They've only been living together for what, two months now?”

“Nearly.” Poe took his seat, grinning. “Let's go.” 

“Right.” He hit the 'accept call' and grinned. “Hellooo...” His words died in his throat. It wasn't Rey looking out of the computer screen at them, but an elderly woman with stern eyes and an extremely displeased look. “Uh...”

“I think we uh...” Poe spluttered. “uh, did you lose a bet with my grandma?” He hissed at Finn.

“You two.” The woman's voice was sharp. “The two of you.” She held out her finger and waggled it at them. “Giving poor Miss Kenobi a hard time about moving to cold, windy Chicago for months and months and never once did you make sure she had packed a warm coat!”

“It was August!” Finn spluttered. Who was this woman?

“That's not an excuse!” She replied, lifting her chin. “She was nice enough to remind you, Mr. Dameron, to pack socks, after you forgot them for scout camp.”

“What?” This was news to Finn, and he looked at Poe, incredulous. “How do you forget _socks_?”

“Rey didn't tell you?” Poe offered in defense.

“No, I didn't. Now I wish I had.” Rey appeared on the woman's left. “Guys, this is Miss Padme, Ben's grandma.” She grinned. “That's Finn on the right, Poe on the left.” 

Miss Padme was still appraising them. “You know, now that you've told me about Mr. Dameron's socks, it's no wonder they forgot to check on you having a coat.”

“We're never going to live this down.” Poe muttered.

“Don't feel bad.” Rey interjected. “The Skywalkers here are _still_ talking about the fact that my grandpa couldn't change a flat tire.” She chuckled and sat down as Miss Padme stood up. 

“It was nice meeting you two. Don't worry, everyone in the family is perfectly lovely.” She moved away from the camera, and now the two of them could see the room a little better. Rey's back was to a set of curtains. It was hard to tell where in the house she was. 

“How was your Christmas?” Rey asked, smiling as she took a sip of water. 

“Same old, same old.” Poe answered and Finn rolled his eyes. “What?”

“You neglected to mention that there would be over twenty people over for Christmas Eve.” He shook his head. “Seriously, it's a good thing your head is attached to your neck.” He turned to give Rey a look. “please tell me you'll be here for Spring Break. I need sleep.” 

“Oh please. If Rey comes back to Texas for a week, the two of you will be up all hours and instead of going back to school rested, you'll be twice as exhausted than you were at the start.” Poe took a long swig from his bottle of Coke. “How many people are in that house with you, Rey?”

“Eleven, including me.” She shifted in her seat. “Twelve, if you count Arya.” 

“You brought Arya with you?” Finn grinned. He'd seen the cat several times on Skype in the past.

“Of course we did!” A deep voice said from behind Rey and a moment later, Ben sat down in the seat next to her, holding the large Maine Coon n his arms. Although given his size, Arya actually looked little. “Think we'd leave her all alone in that apartment for nearly a week? Or with a cat sitter?” He looked insulted. “She's a valued member of this family!” He wasn't looking at them, but at his pet, who had started to lick his chin. “What, is it dirty?”

Poe set his drink down and folded his arms. “If it isn't the elusive Benjamin Organa Solo.” He saw the guy look at him. “Is it true you're the guy that's friends with the PR lady for the Cubs who got hit by a car back in June?”

Rey gave him a dirty look and Finn smothered a chuckle.

“Yes, yes I am. And if you'd met Gwen, you wouldn't call her the PR lady, you'd call her either ma'am or Mrs. Phasma.” He smirked. “I only get to call her Gwen because I have permission.” 

Their friend started pointing at Ben. “She's makes him look small. I feel _short_ standing next to her.” 

“Incoming.” Ben muttered and a moment later, two more faces appeared on the screen behind the pair, an olive-toned girl around their age, and a dark skinned boy. “Anna and Liam – or rather, Me First and What's Going On?” 

“I cringe to think what he calls Daisy.” Liam grinned. “Hi, Rey's friends. My brother Elijah thinks she's cute, that's why he's been hiding for the past few days and blushing like an idiot when he talks to her.”

Rey went scarlet and covered her face as the other girl found her voice. “Well, what do you expect?” Anna rolled her eyes. “He's been looking at the same girls at school since he was seven. And he has to look at them for another three and a half. It's like we told you after your first day. The kids in your class weren't freaked out by you being black, it was because you were the first new person in your class since they were all in diapers.” 

“Anna! Liam!” A voice off-screen called. “Leave your cousin and his friend alone!” The two exchanged glances before disappearing and then a man with blond hair tinged with gray appeared. “I'm sorry, they normally are much better behaved than this.” 

“Aunt Leia showed up this afternoon! Did you really think this day was going to be normal, Dad?” Another girl's voice stated, and then a blonde girl appeared by Ben. She was the first person Finn and Poe had seen who didn't look out of place. She turned towards the screen. “I know what you're thinking. The only people you're currently looking at who are biologically related are my cousin and my dad.” She shook her head and vanished, as did the man. 

During all this time, Rey had remained red-faced and hadn't pulled her hands down. Ben blinked at Poe and Finn, who were starting at the goings-on, beyond confused. The older man cleared his throat and adjusted his hold on the cat. “I'm sorry, my family's a little stirred up at the moment.” He looked over at Rey. “Your friends want to talk to you.”

“I know.” She mumbled and peered up at them. “I'm just mortified.” 

Poe snorted. “That's rich, coming from someone who once walked into the wrong locker room at school.” 

“What?” Ben shot a look at Rey. “You didn't...”

“You're one to talk.” She seethed at Poe. “Finn, go find a pillow and hit him with it for me.” 

“Yes, ma'am.” He grinned at his friend, and gave her a mock salute. 

*

Ben hadn't hung around the dining room for very long; he wanted Rey to have the time to speak with her friends alone. He was too worn out from the day's events and after he brushed his teeth, he hauled the air mattress out from under Elijah's bed and laid down in the semi-darkness, ear-buds in, music drowning out conversations and the television in the house. Years of living alone in Chicago and his time as a latch-key kid in Buffalo had turned him into a craver of solitude. Living with Rey was different; and even then, they had their own things going on and, if he was honest, they spent the majority of their together time asleep. As much as he loved his family and being here on the farm, he wanted to be back home, in Chicago at the same time.

Of all the powers in Harry Potter he wanted, it was the ability to apparate that he wanted. He could come for Sunday dinner and then be back in Chicago before dark. 

He'd left the door cracked so Arya could come and go as she pleased, but he wasn't surprised when she padded into the room and curled up under his chin less than twenty minutes after he came in here. She wasn't used to such activity either, and had never been more than a few feet from him the entire time they'd been here. She let out a purr as he rubbed behind her ears. 

Tomorrow was their last full day here; and since they hadn't gone yet, it meant a trip to the cemetery, where grandpa's headstone was. His actual remains weren't there, they were interred in the group burial site in Quebec, along with sixteen other victims of Eastern Air Flight five-two-five whose remains were deemed 'special cases.' What the term really meant is that the families of the deceased couldn't set their problems aside to agree on where to lay the body to rest, or there was no one to claim the body; as was the case with three of them. His own family had actually agreed on laying Grandpa to rest there; he had always felt responsible for the passengers on his flights, and he was the only member of the crew buried at the grave site. 

Sighing, he sat up and pulled his bag towards him, unzipping the small compartment on the side. Ben smiled as he removed the small flag and post from within, unrolling the fabric and running his fingers along the logo. _World Series Champions 2016: Chicago Cubs_ and took a breath. Grandpa Skywalker, like everyone else in this family, had been a devout fan of the Cubs. Grandma was and still was a supporter of the Red Sox – it'd been one of the things that she and Grandpa Bail had shared. Sometimes, it seemed wholly unfair to him that while Bail had lived to see the Sox win a World Series, Anakin had died forty-six years before his team of choice would.

Hence the flag. 

Ben carefully put it back. “You already knew it was going to happen, didn't you?” He shook his head and turned as he heard a knock on the door, pulling his ear-buds free, the sounds of Paul Simon's 'Obvious Child' still audible. “Yes?”

“Ben, you asleep?” His mom was at the door and she nudged it open. “Wait, don't answer that.” 

He smirked, and she appeared how he best remembered her; standing in a doorway, bathed from light in a hallway, looking into the room he was in, but never really in it. If nothing else, his mother respected space when they were in the same house together. “Something wrong?”

“No.” She took a breath, leaning against the frame. “You're not upset I came out here, are you?”

“I think I was too surprised to be angry.” He absently rubbed at Arya, who was curling herself around his hand, trying to fight it. “It... it was nice to have everyone here for Christmas. Although I don't think anyone's more happy about it than grandma.” 

“True.” she looked away for a moment, up the hall towards the main room, before flipping the light on. “When's your graduation this May?”

“Same weekend as Anna's. I'll be here, not there.” He shrugged, pulling his hand away from his cat, only to have her pounce on it again. “I don't want to sit in an arena full of people in a suit, a cap and gown, get overheated while I listen to some person the alumnae association has decided is important and give us an overpriced lecture, followed by _another_ lecture, this time from a graduate of the school who will tell us how we will not be complete until we surrender part of our earnings for the rest of our lives to the school.” 

“True” She chuckled. “I'm surprised that I haven't gotten a letter from Yale or Harvard yet asking me to include them in my will.” She looked disgusted. “if there's anything more soulless than an ambulance chasing lawyer, it's a shameless university fundraiser.” 

“I think it's more of their bosses, since they usually sucker some poor kids into making the calls asking for donations. Probably lure them in with the promise of real food.” He scratched the back of his head. “Rumor has it a pork cutlet crawled off a plate under its own power in one of the dining halls on campus at De Paul.” He grimaced. “Not that I've eaten in one of those places in about...four years.” Arya had given up on attacking his hand and had curled back up on his pillow. It was on the tip of his tongue to apologize to her for not taking her calls for the past few weeks, but at the same time, he'd constantly apologized to her in years past. 

“I shouldn't have asked if that little shit Hux could live with you.” The odd tone of her voice made him look up, confused. “You'll be glad to know that he's not going to Loyola. He's off to Stanford and maybe he'll be killed in an earthquake, or eaten by a shark.” 

Ben blinked in surprise; he'd never heard his mother talk like this about anyone, especially not the Hux family. “What's with the change of thought on that asshole? He tell you that you need to have your roots done?”

She blinked, and he could see a glimmer of her angrier self in her eyes and he braced himself, but instead, she took a deep breath, coming into the room and sitting down in the desk chair.. “I deserved that. No, it wasn't that.” She smirked. “Since you live in Illinois, you wouldn't know that Senator Hux lost his reelection bid. The opposition uncovered a string of coverups involving Armitage and around half-a-dozen young women.” She rubbed her eyes, shaking her head. “I never should have questioned your honesty where Michelle had been concerned.”

He swallowed and looked away, setting a hand against Arya. “Loyola revoked his acceptance, didn't they?”

“Yeah.” She made an odd noise and came into the room, pulling “I don't know how much Hux had to bribe Stanford to let him in to their law program.” 

“It's California. I think you need a shady past if you want to be a part of the club.” He coughed. “looking forward to moving to St. Louis?” he looked back up at her. 

“I am.” She hugged herself, smiling absently. “Living right in the city itself. Any advice?”

“Use the chain lock.” He grinned as she opened her mouth to speak. “And don't go telling me there's a doorman. You need the chain to keep the crazies who live in the same building as you. The Phasmas and I have no idea what the people who live on the floor between us are like, other than they watch _Game of Thrones._ They could be _Dexter_ style serial killers for all we know. That's just the people in eighteen-A, who knows what kind of psychos live in eighteen-B.” 

“Given what I see on the news about Chicago, I would not be surprised.” She coughed. “How's the writing going?”

“My book's getting published.” The words tumbled out of his mouth before he could even think about it. That swooping feeling went through him again and he saw something he almost couldn't believe; his mother's whole face lit up. 

“Ben, that's wonderful! Congratulations!” She paused. “Would you mind if I read it?”

He returned the smile; the look on her face was actually better than the swooping feeling. “Not at all. Uncle Luke should have a copy of the manuscript around here somewhere.”

*

Rey shut her laptop with a heavy sigh. Whenever she ended a Skype session with Poe and Finn, it felt like she missed them twice as much as she did on days when they didn't talk at all. She sat back in her chair, folding her arms. In the other room, she could hear one of the epic battles in _Return of the King,_ and she inwardly sighed; this had been one of the best Christmases she had ever had, but at the same time, it had felt rather incomplete. She wanted her friends here to share this with her. It seemed rather crazy that Ben had never gone with his grandma for Christmas before. It seems like it should be standard at this point. 

The Skywalker family was weird. 

“Oh, I was hoping you were still in here, Rey.” Miss Padme came into the dining room. Rey was surprised; she thought the woman would have gone to bed by now. “How are your friends?”

“Recovering from the onslaught that is this family.” She chuckled, then looked down. “I don't know if I want to be there with them, or have them here with us, if that makes sense.”

“Perfect sense.” She sat down next to her and pushed a package towards her. “I didn't want to give this to you during all the chaos this morning.”

She frowned, shaking her head. “You paid for my airfare here, Miss Padme. That was plenty and...”

“Hush. This is different from all that.” She smiled, nudging the box again. “Go on.” 

She gave the woman a smile, uncertain. “Thank you.” She picked up the gift and undid the ribbon, then carefully removed the paper, it was strangely heavy. As she pulled the paper aside, she found herself looking at a rather sturdy photograph album and her heart turned over. “What is this?” The woman was beaming. She set it down on the table and pulled it open. The top picture were her grandparents; she knew their faces – a candid shot from their wedding day, given the attire. It had the muted colors of all photographs from the Sixties tended to have. The one below it was brighter, another candid wedding snapshot, but the couple – were her parents. “How?” 

Miss Padme put an arm around her shoulders, hugging her. “After you told me who your grandparents were, I went through all my pictures and found the ones of your family. If anyone should have them, it's you.” 

She sniffled as she turned the page and found another candid from the Sixties – a beach somewhere with three kids – two boys and one girl - and two women in one piece bathing suits, waving at the camera. “That's not...”

“That is. My kids and your dad. That was taken in Texas, down in Galveston.” She let out a sigh. “They were all around five.” She swallowed. “That was...”

“After Mr. Skywalker died.” She offered, swallowing. “I'm sorry.”

“Don't be sorry dear.” She hugged her again. “We had planned the trip before the accident. I was rather glad we took it. Luke and Leia needed something to distract themselves. So did I.”

Rey turned another page and found a picture that made her laugh out loud. Her father and Mr. Luke, sticking their tongues out, one blue and one purple; the cause of which had to be the snow-cones they were holding. Her father had the same spattering of freckles she did; made more prominent by the sun he had gotten. “Did you all go on vacation together often?”

“Not as often as I would have liked. Satine and I kept up a stream of correspondence for years.” She closed her eyes, shaking her head. “I don't know where my letters to her ended up, but, when the time comes, I'll make sure you get all of her letters to me.” 

Rey didn't want to think about that. She scanned more pictures of the long ago vacation, and a page that was nothing but a series of school snapshots of her father; starting in first grade and ending with senior year of high school. She brushed at her cheeks when she felt the tears start; it was so strange – she was ashamed to think that she had all but forgotten her father's face, with his freckles, hazel eyes like hers and that granite splitting grin. She stopped short when she came to another picture of her parents' wedding day – it was her mom, her hair a riot of curls that, if they were natural, Rey was mad she hadn't inherited, hugging a small boy in a suit – the ring-bearer, she supposed. 

The ears gave him away; the tiny boy being hugged by her mother was Ben. 

“How old was Ben when this was taken?” She covered her mouth, to keep the sob and the laugh in; Ben had been at her parents wedding, and it was almost certain he didn't even remember it. 

“He was four.” Padme covered her eyes, her expression unreadable. “That was taken before my daughter threw a drink in your uncle's face.” 

Rey didn't exactly have trouble picturing Leia Organa doing that; the reason, however, escaped her. “Well, I know my uncle's an ass, so I can't blame her, whatever the cause.”

“He pulled Benny's ears, and while it might have been in jest, it escalated very quickly. In act of self-defense, my grandson bit him. Your uncle smacked him, and Leia did exactly what she should have. Threw the entire contents of a Bloody Mary into his face.” She shook her head. “Your mother then informed her brother that he deserved it.”

She blinked. “Please tell me the reception didn't go downhill from there.”

“Your aunt and uncle left, and the party went on.” She shook her head, smiling. “Leia just gave Benny a piece of cake and that was that.” 

Rey ran her fingers along the page of the album, the smiles on her mother's and Ben's face were literally shining in her eyes. It was strange to think that there had been people who had known her parents, grandparents – and who knew, if her parents hadn't died, there could be photographs of the two of them as kids standing on that same beach in Galveston. She sniffled. “Do you think you could tell me a few more stories about them?” She gave Miss Padme a smile. “I know so little about my family, can't really remember them all that well, so...” 

She kissed her cheek in reply. “Of course, dear heart. I'd be happy to.” She looked down at the album as Rey turned a page. It was another picture from her parent's wedding, just her parents this time. “Although most of them would be about your grandmother.” 

“That's fine.” She brushed hand against her face, willing the tears away. “I'd love to know anything. How did you two meet?”

“Freshman year roommates. I honestly believe that the only reason the housing department put a girl from New York and a girl from Texas in a room together was because we were both pre-law majors.” She let out a sigh. “Now, back then you didn't know who your roommate was until move-in day...”

*

Diana decided that while the first floor of her new home was wretchedly formal, the basement was amazing. Her aunt and uncle were big into the entertaining thing, she understood that right away. Downstairs wasn't used as often, but the sunken couches around a large screen TV were sort cool. It gave it a quasi-theater vibe. She set down her bowl of popcorn on the table in the center and walked over to the DVD player, having already made her selection from the vast collection on the shelves that lined the same wall as the TV. It had been her and her mother's tradition to watch _The Sound of Music_ every Christmas Eve, but since she'd gone to church last night, and had then been too tired to stay awake and watch it.

“Do you need any help with the player, honey?” Aunt Amelia's voice called down the stairs. 

It was on the tip of her tongue to just tell her to leave her alone, but she deceived against it. “What does the input on the television need to be on?” 

“AV Two.” She replied. “Don't stay up too late, all right?”

“I won't.” She took a breath. “I can't promise I won't fall asleep down here either.”

“That's fine. Merry Christmas, sweetie.” Well, Aunt Amelia was trying. Diana would give her that. 

“Merry Christmas. Thank you again, for everything.” She waited, wondering if the woman would come downstairs to make sure she was setting things up right.

“Oh, you're welcome Diana.” the basement door was shut. 

“Just relax, it's new to them too.” She muttered and turned on the television; the nine-o'clock news was on. A woman in a suit was standing in front of a map of the States, and she was motioning around a large mass of purple and pink. She recognized Illinois, but she wasn't too certain what the other states were. “Weather report?”

“Thank you Mark.” the woman said, “this storm is huge, folks. It'll arrive here in Chicago on Tuesday afternoon, and it's already snowing in Rapid City. This storm is dangerous and it's moving slow, and if it warms up, all this snow will turn to ice.” 

Diana grimaced. “More snow?” She shook her head and picked up the remote and changed the input on the television. Not that the weather meant anything to her right now; school didn't start for another week.


	8. Boxing Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The last day in South Dakota proves to be, in a word - interesting.

Luke reached over and turned the alarm off before it could ring. He sat up, rubbing his face and yawning. While winter on the farm didn't demand as much as work as summer, there was still plenty to do. He glanced over his shoulder at Mara, who groaned as she stretched. He smiled and then ran a hand through his hair. Yesterday had been wonderful, for all its ups and downs. He couldn't have asked for a better Christmas. He got up from the bed and headed straight for the bathroom, determined to get a good head start on the work to be done before the kids got up. Mara was still rubbing her eyes, and he knew the look. “You're not upset that my sister showed up, are you?” He called from the bath.

“Shocked is the better term, Luke.” She let out a breath. “I've known her to act one way almost the entire time I've known her, and for her to just switch to something else...” 

He shook his head. “I'm surprised to, but it's not like there's an instruction manual on how to put your life back together in her situation.” He ran a hand through his hair as he turned on the water, and a moment later, Mara slipped into the room behind him. “Leia's making an effort, so it'd be wrong of us to dismiss it.” 

“I know.” She answered as she closed the door. “It's just... well, I'm not used to seeing her act like that.”

“And you think I am?” He plugged in his razor. “She tries to keep things in order, and when something falls out of how she thinks it should be, it throws her for a moment, and then she moves on. I don't know how the hell she managed these last five and a half years of not seeing Ben. This is the first time you've seen her since what, Anna was five, when Bail died?”

“That's when everything went to Hell with your sister.” The toilet flushed and she came out, going to the second sink to wash her hands. “Or rather, that's when it started.” 

Luke shook his head as he turned on the razor and ran it along his cheeks. “I think it didn't help that it seemed to be one thing after another. So by the time Leia had things back under control, she'd already pushed Ben away, but didn't realize it. Ben had enough on his own plate as well.” He set the razor down. “When's the last time you heard a weather report?”

“Christmas Eve.” She tugged her hair out of its bun and picked up her brush. “There was a storm on the other side of the Rockies, but I have no idea if it's changed direction at all.”

“Great.” He went into the closet and changed out of his nightclothes, groaning slightly as a twinge of pain went through his knee. “That's hurting again.” He pulled on a thick flannel shirt and walked back into the room, buttoning it. “Regardless, I'm going to put up the lines from the house to the barn today.” He pressed a kiss against her cheek. “The house also seems twice as full. Ben, Rey and Leia are all leaving tomorrow morning. Most likely around three. Odds are, they're all scheduled to leave on the same nine o'clock flight.”

“It's been strange having such a full house.” She pulled her hair into a bun. “Not that our house ever seems empty.” 

“True.” He chuckled. “I'll go put the coffee on.” He retrieved a pair of socks from the dresser and pulled them on before he headed down to the kitchen. As he was pouring the water into the machine, he heard a toilet flush, followed by the running of water. The bathroom across from the boy's room. “Who's awake first..” A few moments later, Ben shuffled into the kitchen, looking as if he hadn't slept at all. “You can go back to bed, BB. There's no reason for you to be up.” 

His nephew gave him a weak smile. “I forgot to pack my Zolpidem. All I have is the Xanax the vet gave me for Arya. I'll take a sleepless night or two over subjecting a plane full of people to a freaked out feline.” 

Luke shook his head. He knew that tomorrow, Ben was going to have an early morning and would arrive back at his apartment dead on his feet. He went over to the sink and opened the cabinet above it. “You want to take an Advil PM and go back to bed?” 

Ben let out a long breath. “Uncle Luke...” 

“You need sleep, young man. I know you haven't been getting much of it since you've been here.” He paused for a moment, then shut the cabinet, remembering just how much his nephew despised medication. Odds were, he didn't even take cold medicine unless he absolutely had to. “Just go and rest, all right? You don't need to sleep, but you've got a long week ahead of you, so this is one of your last chances to get a long morning's rest.”

His shoulders fell slightly, but he nodded. “All right.” He smiled wanly before he turned and ambled back towards the other end of the house. It was strange to see a twenty-four year old move like someone three times his age. Luke hadn't asked, but he had a feeling that his injuries from this past summer still bothered him. Given that it had taken his friend Nate to make him be honest about his pain in June, who knew what was going on with him now? Luke was certain that the only person currently around who could make him do something he didn't want to was his grandmother. 

Folding his arms, he leaned back against the counter as he waited for the coffee to finish brewing, reaching over to flip the radio on, just as a commercial for Farmer's Bureau Insurance was ending. He smiled absently at the voice that came over the speaker; he'd been listening to Tessa Daniels for ten years, and he still wanted to know what she had every morning that could make her sound so cheerful.

“And we're back. Our top story this morning is Winter Storm Jupiter, already making its way across the Dakotas. It's dropped two feet of snow overnight in Rapid City, with another two expected by noon and has temporarily closed Interstate Ninety between there and Chamberlain.” She paused. “The storm is currently stalled by a front, keeping it locked over the Black Hills. The front is not expected to last, and we here in the eastern part of the state should expect the snow to start before this time tomorrow. Right now it's a chilly seventeen degrees in Sioux Falls, fifteen in Hastings, and twenty-one in Yankton, with wind-chills all in the single digits. If you're headed outside, make sure you layer. Keep an eye on your animals, farmers.”

“Yes, ma'am.” He rolled his eyes. “We've only been doing this for generations, ma'am.” He took down his mug from the cabinet as Mara came into the kitchen, filling it with coffee. “Hey Mara, keep an eye on the animals, it's winter in South Dakota and some lady in the city thinks we need to be told how to do our job.”

“Ten to one, that woman doesn't know how to chop wood.” She grumbled. “Not that we have many trees to turn into firewood in the first place.” She poured her own cup of coffee. “Who else is up?”

“I sent Ben back to bed.” He sighed and took a sip from his mug. “I don't think he slept much. If at all.” He looked down, his hands wrapped around the cup. “I believe that there may only be three people in the world who can get that young man to admit to anything, but Rey seems determined to become the fourth one.”

“She's stubborn enough, I suspect she'll have the honor before St. Patrick's Day.” Mara chuckled just as they heard water running and a moment later, a bleary-eyed Elijah appeared. “Morning, sleepy-head.”

“It's five thirty.” He mumbled. “Ben told me to tell you that he got back into bed, and he did.” He shook his head as he went over to the fridge and took out the bottle of orange juice. “Liam's coming. Since he went into a food coma around nine last night, he's had enough sleep.” He glared at the radio. “What's she so chipper about?”

“She gets to work inside.” Mara answered, grinning. “That, and she knows that at around ten o'clock this morning, she gets to go home.” 

*

Rey heard Anna and Daisy both get out of bed shortly before six. She sat up on her own bed, looking around the room, listening to the rest of the house; voices in the kitchen, faintly audible through the partially open door. After she heard everyone go outside, she shot a look over at Elisa, who rolled over in her own bed, mumbled something and then went back to sleep. Keeping as quiet as she could, she rose to her feet and left the room, crossing over to the boy's room and going inside. Ben's back was to her as she came in, and quickly slid under the covers with him, pressing her face between his shoulder-blades, her arm over his waist. 

“What are you doing up?” Ben mumbled, turning over, the air mattress creaked and shifted slightly under their combined weight. Compared to the trundle bed she was using in the other room, his bed was really comfortable; she had no idea how old the frame and mattress she was sleeping on was. It brought back to mind her foster home when she was nine; one she had really liked, where she lived with several other kids with an elderly couple whose grand-kids all lived on the other side of the country. Then the couple's _actual_ kids showed up, got some sort of court order and moved their parents into assisted living and one of her best temporary homes was gone.

“I couldn't sleep.” She shifted so her head was nestled under his chin, and she could hear the even thump of his heart against her ear.“Your aunt said she didn't care yesterday, just as long as we didn't do anything we wouldn't want small children to see.” 

“Aren't you cold?” His arm slid around her back, so they were basically holding each other, and she moved her other arm so it was lying next to his under the pillow. “I know you need a mountain of covers.”

“You're a furnace.” She chuckled, closing her eyes. “And we do have a lovely pile of blankets back on the bed in Chicago.”

He chuckled, nuzzling against her, his leg sliding up over hers. “Reminds me – did you make the bed before we left?”

She grimaced. “I knew I forgot to do something.” She let out a chuckle and slid her feet between his. “Why are you always so warm?”

“No idea. Will you be in charge of keeping us cool in the summer?” He shifted so his face was pressed into her hair. 

“I don't think it works like that.” She sighed. “Unfortunately.” She had missed this; it was strange that a little less than a month ago, she never would have thought about sleeping with her roommate; well, not in _that_ sense, but this sweet comfort and simplicity. She let out a soft yawn. “My feet aren't cold, are they?”

Ben let out a chuckle. “You're wearing socks and you're asking me that?”

“It's cold.” She offered as a defense; not to mention that since she left her slippers back in Chicago, socks were essential. “You were right about it being colder here.” She tensed as she heard a door open; then the sound of another closing. “That must be Elisa.” 

“Yeah. What time is it?” His hand slid down and then under her shirt, resting on the small of her back. “Last I checked, it was quarter after five.”

“It's around six, maybe a little after the hour.” She kissed his chin and moved her hand to mirror his. “Go back to sleep. Long day tomorrow.”

“Yeah. Remind me to call Gwen or Leslie today. Storm's coming and we have no milk, bread or eggs. Unless you want to eat ramen for breakfast the rest of this week.” He yawned and pulled her closer, and she nuzzled against him; she never could get over how wonderful he smelled. “Aunt Mara's probably going to ask us if we want to do laundry before we go.”

“I might just take her up on that. I _know_ we left our laundry baskets empty when we left.” She yawned again. “Well, there might be a few things in yours, but mine was empty.”

“It is easier to pack clean clothes than dirty.” He murmured in reply, and then she listened to his breathing shift into slow and steady, his heart still thumping against her ear, and she began to count the beats. They hadn't had much time to this since the start of the month. Between his work and classes and her classes, they'd not had the luxury of weekends spent together. Rey was glad there were still a few more days of winter break left; and there were their plans on New Year's Eve. She drifted off to sleep before she had counted a hundred heartbeats.

*

Leia woke up and didn't know where she was. She bolted upright and looked around the room, confused for a moment then remembered; she was at her brother's house. Shaking her head, she looked over to her left and found that her mother had already gotten up and left the bed, Sleeping curled up in her place was Ben's cat, who raised her head and looked at her for a moment,before lying back down. Running a hand through her hair, she looked around Anna's room, trying to remember when she had come in here last night.

It'd been well after eleven, later than she normally stayed up, and with the jet lag, she was surprised that she'd stayed up as late as she had. She looked across the room and saw the alarm clock; the green numbers telling her that it was half past eight. Groaning, she rubbed at the back of her neck, tossing the covers aside, the smell of coffee and something else; something sweet, trickling into the room from the slightly open door. “Wonder if I'm the last one up.” She looked back at the cat, who seemed completely disinterested in her. “Must be, if you're in here.” She got out of bed, glancing at the cork-board above the desk that had a dozens of ribbons stuck along the top, an even mixture of blue, red, and white. She ran a hand along one of the blue, smiling slightly then slipped out of the room, heading up towards the kitchen. 

“Morning sleepyhead.” Her mother was sitting at the kitchen table, and Leia noted that the only other person in the room was Daisy, who was frowning at a cookbook. 

“Morning.” She went over to the coffee pot, trying to remember if she'd seen where the mugs were yesterday.

“Cabinet right above.” Daisy offered, “milk's in the fridge, sugar is in the cabinet next to it.” 

“Thank you.” She took down a bright green mug and filled it part-way, leaving room for the milk. “Am I the last one up?”

“Rey and Ben are still asleep.” Mom stated, looking down at something on the table. “Everyone else is out of doors. How did you sleep, honey?”

“Fine.” She walked over to the table, taking the first sip of coffee and it was like hitting a switch. “I forgot how strong Luke makes this.” She sat down, shooting a look over at Daisy, who wouldn't look at either of them. “How about you, Mom?”

“I slept wonderfully. Thankfully, you're no longer a blanket thief.” She smiled over the rim of her coffee cup. “Now, don't ask me what Arya was doing sleeping in the room with you. She usually sleeps with Ben, then again, she does like to move around.”

“Be glad she didn't give you her standard wake-up.” Daisy interjected. “That's where she climbs on you, purrs right in your ear, then gets under the covers, smacking you in the face with her tail as she does.” 

“I know about that one.” Mom chuckled. “Apparently, the first time she did it to Rey it scared the poor girl half to death.” She shook her head. “Then again, if you move out of your apartment and not three hours later, your former residence goes up in flames, you're not going to take shock well for a few days, if not weeks.” 

“When did Rey move in with Ben? I'm guessing it hasn't been all that long ago.” She wrapped her hands around the mug. She knew that it had to be after she had stupidly mentioned Hux moving to Chicago to her son.

“The first week of November.” Mom stated, taking a sip of coffee. “It's all right, Leia. I didn't know that she was connected to the same Kenobi family we knew.” She smiled. “You remember Alex's wedding, don't you?”

Leia thought for a moment. “I do. Ben was the ring-bearer. I can't remember his wife's name... but her brother was an asshole.” She shot a look at her niece. “Pretend you didn't hear that.”

“Didn't hear what?” She grinned and then walked out of the kitchen, and a moment later, she heard the door to the garage open and shut. 

“It's fine, honey.” Mom answered, taking another sip of coffee. “And you're right, he is an asshole.” She paused. “Alex's wife's name was Madeline, but everyone called her Maddy.” She sighed. “I think you may have gone up in Rey's book now that she knows you threw a drink in his face.” 

She snorted, holding her mug. “Well, what did he expect would happen if he pulled a kid's ears? Ben was acting in self-defense.” Daisy came back into the house, dropping a bag of something on the counter. “You want any help?”

“I'm good, thanks.” The girl offered a half grin. “Speaking of... there's my number one sou-chef. Morning Ben.”

“Nnn.” He remarked, walking past the table and into the kitchen. “No talk before coffee.” He turned towards Daisy. “Check your casserole.” 

Leia shook her head and turned her attention back to her coffee. 

*

The sky was an ominous shade of gray. Even after living with winters that showed up in October and lasted until May almost all of his life, there were certain shades of sky that still worried Ben. This was the sort of gray that let you know massive snow was on it's way, much like a green one would warn you of severe weather in the summer. He'd only seen a green sky once, and had no desire to see one again. He pulled his collar tighter around his neck as he pulled open the gate on the cemetery, the hinges groaning loudly in the still afternoon. There were paths worn in the snow through the graveyard, and many of the headstones were half-buried in the snow. Thankfully, his grandfather's stone was near one of the paths, next to the tall pillar that marked a family plot. 

“You're not too cold, are you?” Mom's voice was quiet as she addressed grandma, and it was kind of odd; but he shrugged it off. 

“It's not windy today. I'll be fine.” Grandma answered as they came to a stop and, without prompting, Ben crouched down and started to dig in the snow, which was blessedly shallow compared to what it could be. A moment later, Rey joined him, pushing the snow aside with ease. “You two be careful.”

“We will.” Rey answered before Ben could. A fraction of a moment later, he saw a flash of gray granite. “Think this is the first time I've dug in the snow.” She focused on moving more of the top layer off, while he continued to work around the stone, and, after another handful of minutes, they had the stone uncovered. He helped her to her feet. “Good thing I remembered gloves.” 

“Wouldn't have let you dig without them.” Coming out here in a group was weird; it was originally just going to be him and grandma, something they'd arranged before they'd even left for South Dakota. Not that he was bothered by Rey and his mom being here, but it was strange. He rubbed at her back for a moment before he pulled out the flag he had brought with him, and crouched back down, digging another section free and shoving the stand into the hard earth, grimacing slightly. “Flowers?” He turned to his mom, who handed him the bouquet of bright yellow roses they had brought with them. He carefully arranged them before standing back up. 

Rey clasped her hand in his, giving it a quick squeeze, and when he looked down at her, she smiled. 

For a few moments, they all stood there, in the quiet of the December afternoon, not saying anything, and he felt Rey's arm go around his waist, and he obligingly put his arm around her as well, and he could see out of the corner of his eye, grandma hugging his mom. It was so perfectly calm, so still. 

The silence was broken by the far off and far above dull roar of a passing jet, out of sight, on the other side of the heavy, gray clouds.

Mom let out a soft laugh. “Dad's saying hello.” 

Grandma returned the chuckle and kissed her daughter's forehead. “So he is.” 

The wind suddenly picked up and a throbbing started in Ben's knee. “And I think that's grandpa telling us to get out of here and get inside.” There was another gust, and it kicked up snow, lashing it against the four of them.

“Agreed.” Grandma replied, wincing.

*

When they returned to the house, both Rey and Ben went to their respective guest rooms to start packing. Just as Ben predicted, Mara suggested they do laundry before they left, and they had put their clothes together in the machine, leaving their darks in the dryer while they went to the cemetery, with their lights washing. Upon their return, they found their clothed folded and waiting for them. Her bag was considerably bigger than Ben's, so she had more room to move things from her backpack into it, leaving only her laptop, wallet and the photo album inside her carry-on. She rolled up a pair of jeans, stuffing them into her bag. She was already planning on wearing the same clothes tomorrow that she was today. 

“Rey?” She looked up, almost surprised. Ms. Organa was standing in the doorway.

“Yes? Is something wrong?” The woman walked into the room and sat down on Daisy's bed. 

“No, nothing like that.” She looked towards the door, then back at her. “Are you coming to Anna's graduation in May?”

“I don't know, I haven't thought that far ahead yet.” She rubbed her nose before putting her dress shoes into her bag. “Why do you ask?” She noted that the woman looked oddly subdued, and it didn't fit with the picture she had created in her mind of the woman. Leia Organa was supposed to be some icy attorney that was all designer suits and polished appearance; not jeans and cozy sweater. That was Mrs. Dameron in her mind. 

Leia leaned forward, and Rey caught the tiny glimmer in her eye. “I was wondering, do you think the administration at De Paul could have Ben's diploma mailed here, to De Smet, and do you think it could be arranged that it's presented to him at Anna's graduation? Or do you think he'd absolutely hate that?”

She blinked at the woman. It wasn't a terrible idea, but it was somewhat confusing. “You'd have to surprise him, because he'd never agree to that outright.” She shook her head. “It was hard enough for Leslie to get Ben to accept going out for a celebratory dinner when they learned his book was being published.” She paused, “you knew about that, right?”

“Ben told me yesterday, yes.” She sighed. “He never has done well with recognition.” She blanched. “Then again, I was never good at giving it.” 

Rey didn't trust herself to answer that. “If what you're suggesting was able to be pulled off, I know he'll be too shocked to be upset. But I'd run it by your brother and Anna before you go any further. I mean, it is _her_ graduation.”

“True. May is still some time away.” She straightened up as there was a knock on the door and Ben came into the room, followed by Luke. “What's going on?”

“I've been watching the news.” Luke let out a deep breath. “The storm that's coming is pretty bad. It'll be in this part of South Dakota by midnight. I think the three of you might need to leave for the airport this afternoon, and try and get out of here on stand-by.” 

Leia frowned. “Well, given the option, I'd rather get stuck in Chicago than Sioux Falls.” 

“I called Gwen earlier about picking stuff up from the store.” Ben added. “She also suggested trying to get back before the storm.” He took a breath. “I'm nearly packed, and I'd just need something to feed Arya so I can slip the Xanax in. If I half it, I can give her part now, and part before we fly out.” 

“I'll get you guys some food to take with you.” Luke took a breath. “Might not be able to take it on the plane, but you can eat in the airport.” He turned and walked out of the room.

“I'm going to go finish packing.” Ben also left, and a moment later, Rey heard the jingling of Arya's collar. “Oh, there you are, Little Miss.” 

“I don't have that much to pack, so I'm going to get my things together, and then go help in the kitchen.” She paused. “How many bags do the two of you have?”

“I have a duffel, Ben's got some sort of overlarge carry-on, two backpacks and Arya's case.” she took a breath. “Glad I put my phone to charge.” Leia nodded and then walked out of the room, and Rey followed, heading for the bathroom. 

*

Ben hugged his grandma, lifting her off the ground. “Thank you, again. I'll see you in May.” He set her down, letting her untangle herself from him and then turned and hugged his uncle. Good-byes were never easy, and there was a great deal of hugging going on, and out of the corner of his eye, he saw Elijah going pink as Rey hugged him, then ruffled his hair. He quickly ducked out of her grip and came over to Ben, looking abashed. “And you!” He grasped his cousin in a hug. “Keep these siblings of yours out of trouble. You're supposed to be the voice of reason around here.”

“Since when?” Elisa interjected, hugging him as well. “And I never misbehave.”

“Ha!” Daisy shot out. “A likely story!”

“All right you guys, get inside – you're out here without your coats and I don't want five sick kids tomorrow morning!” Uncle Luke stated and ushered his kids back into the garage as Ben got into the front passenger seat, relegated there more for his size than by choice. Rey slid into the backseat behind him and a moment later, he saw his mom untangle herself from grandma and then get into the car as well, looking rather flustered. 

“How does my brother handle all this crowd?” She shook her her head, adjusting the seat. 

“I think it's because he got grandma's sociable 'I love people' gene and you and I got the 'leave me the hell alone' gene from grandpa.” Ben quipped and Rey snickered from the backseat. “What?”

“You may have a point.” Mom put on her sunglasses. “Everyone buckled?”

“Yeah.” He answered as Rey did the same and he looked into the backseat. “Is Arya asleep already?”

Rey looked down into the carrier as his mom started the car and backed out of the drive. “I think so, she's purring hard, which passes for her snore.” 

He nodded and turned back around, glancing at the clock on the dashboard; it was just after three. He dug his phone out of his backpack and then, out of a long-ago habit of driving in bad weather in Buffalo, he turned on the car radio, and after a moment, found a news station.

“Interstate Ninety is now closed from Mitchell westward, and snow is expected to start here in eastern South Dakota by five. This is a dangerous storm, folks. Do not travel if you do not have to. Wherever you are, you are advised to go home.” The man's voice was oddly calm.

“How far is Mitchell from here?” Rey spoke from the backseat.

“About two hours west.” Ben offered. “Believe me, going now is going to be a vast improvement over trying to go in the morning.” He looked back at her, and found that she was holding herself, her face rather ashen. “Are you okay?”

“I've never been in a car in a blizzard.” She tried to smile. “I'm trying not to think about it.”

“Don't worry, as soon as we get to the interstate, we'll follow the plow south.” His mom took a breath. “Ben, can you look up flights to Chicago on your phone?”

“Sure.” He frowned down at the device, waiting for it to connect. “At least Sioux Falls International is a one terminal airport.” 

“There is that.” She added and grimaced as she pulled onto the main highway, heading away from De Smet. “Your grandma's not leaving until after New Years, right?”

“Right.” He answered, finally finding a list of flights leaving Sioux Falls. 

“This is Thor Gregson, KBSD, nine-seven-nine, Sioux Falls. Stay tuned to stay warned!” The man on the radio said and Rey started sniggering. 

“Thor. You think that's really his name?” She coughed, and grinned.

“Possibly, I know there's a Thor in Anna and Elisa's classes, and a Thora in Daisy's.” Ben chuckled. “It's the geographical area. Odds are, you can walk into a high school in Sioux Falls, shout 'Hey, Thor!' and at least twenty guys will turn around.” 

Rey tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, looking a little more relieved. “You mean like how if you go to a Greek Festival and yell for John, half the men there will look your way?”

“I take you speak from experience.” His mom stated,chuckling. “And what's this I hear about you going into the wrong locker room in high school?”

“Mom!” Ben felt his jaw drop. “She hasn't even told me about that!”

“I was a _freshman_ when it happened!” Rey sounded outraged. “And I'm going to have Finn clobber Poe with a pillow every day for a month for him mentioning it!”

“Or we could invite him up here for a meeting with Lurch.” He chuckled as he scanned the flights leaving South Dakota, and thankfully, all the east-bound ones were still scheduled to leave.

“Who's Lurch?” His mom asked and he felt the car swerve into the passing lane.

“My boss at Michael's. Well, head of the framing department. The guy's six-foot nine.” He shook his head. “He's Lurch, I'm Wednesday, there's Morticia, who only works mornings, It who only works weekends... and we always know when there's some suspicious characters in the store because Allie will get on the comm and ask me or Lurch to do a walk-through.” He grinned and looked back at Rey. “I told you about the kids I caught in the jewelry making isle, right?” 

Rey grinned. “Yeah. I'd say they were lucky Lurch wasn't the one.” 

“Preventing shoplifting then?” Mom stated and he looked up to watch the car swing back into the right hand land. “What do you tell them?”

“I just asked them if they need a coupon for whatever it was that they had stuck in their pocket. We're not really allowed to accuse them, but they happened to be there with their grandmother – and she took care of the rest.” He smirked. “Next flight to Chicago that we'll arrive in time for leaves at seven, next one is at eleven.” 

*

There was a dull roar as the deicing fluid washed over the plane, and Rey grimaced as she looked out the window at the snow. They had all made the seven o'clock flight, but it was now quarter till eight, and this was the last deicing, the plane was no longer at the gate, but waiting in line at the runway. She straightened up, looking up the isle, where she could see Ben sitting in an isle seat, and he looked back, offering her a smile and a wave. She knew that Ms. Organa was two rows behind her. Being on the plane and apart was better than still being back in the terminal and together. 

“Ladies and Gentlemen, this is your first officer speaking. We've been cleared of ice and we are next in line for take off. Flight attendants, please take your seats.” There was a round of applause from the cabin and Rey double checked her belt, then clasped her hands tightly, trying to keep herself calm. 

“It'll be all right, honey.” The woman sitting next to her offered her a smile. “I've been on dozens of flights, in worse weather than this.” 

She managed a weak smile. “This is only the second time I've been on a plane.” She leaned her head back as the plane lurched forward and, looking out the window, she could see the snow falling and the start of the runway. Somewhere behind her, she heard a baby start to cry and she closed her eyes, willing herself to relax. It'd been a wonderful holiday, and she felt the plane start to move again, and there was more crying elsewhere in the plane, and she was certain she heard Arya give off an indignant chirp. 

In a few hours, she and Ben would be home.


	9. Returning Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey and Ben finally get the alone together time they've been wanting. Poe is woken up and given some bad news.

O'Hare was two steps up from being a madhouse. Since Ben and Rey were headed for baggage claim, and Leia had another flight to catch, they had parted ways in the concourse. She had watched the two of them walk away, hand in hand, heading away from her and that normally wretched, bubbly feeling she got in her stomach when she watched such things didn't happen. Instead, she actually felt, well, at peace. The flight to Chicago had been blessedly turbulence free, and she hadn't even minded the baby who cried almost non-stop the whole way here. She had no idea where that family had gone; but as she waded her way through the crush of people, all she could really focus on was how good the last day and a half had been.

She and Ben had been in the same house at the same time and not once had things turned sour. 

Of course, that might have something to do with the fact that her mother had been present the entire time. Well, maybe that was part of it. If there was one thing that she could say about the absolute shitstorm that recently happened in the Organa-Solo family, at least they were already broken. In all honesty, Leia was more angry at Han for Ben's sake than she was her own. Shaking her head, she ducked around a Starbucks that still had customers waiting and checked the large board for her gate number. It was a relief to see many 'on time' next to nearly every flight that was eastbound, and she adjusted the hold on her bag, half-yawning as left one part of the terminal, heading for a concourse at the other end. 

“Care for a lift, ma'am?” A voice spoke from next to her and she stepped out of the way of one of the transports. 

Rather than feel insulted, the looked at the half-empty car and smiled. “Thank you.” She pulled herself aboard, sitting down next to a man who looked close to her own age. “Evening.”

“Evening.” He returned, and the cart started moving, and Leia was actually glad of the ride. Today had been nothing short of exhausting; she was hoping that she'd sleep some on the flight back to New York, and was silently thankful that she had used the covered parking at the airport, which meant she didn't have to dig her car out when she arrived. She might keep a snow-shovel in her trunk for such purposes, but she really didn't want to have to use it at four in the morning. She fished her phone out of her bag and fired a quick text off to her mother.

_Made it to Chicago. Will text when I get back to NY._

She was about to return the phone to its pocket when it buzzed and a text from Ben popped up on the screen.

_Nearly everyone in Chicago has forgotten how to drive in the snow._

She chuckled and shook her head, and she felt an odd, swooping sensation in her stomach. Her son had just randomly texted her about something mundane and he'd done it out of the blue. A casual exchange that she couldn't remember happening in years. It was like it had been in the drive to Sioux Falls. They were moving in baby steps with each other, and they both knew it. It was as if the two of them had reached some sort of agreement, to not disparage the other's attempts. Leia knew that there would be times when she would slip up, when Ben would pull away – but the important thing, was that they didn't let everything fall apart. Again.

“Where you heading, green coat?” The driver's voice cut into her thoughts and she looked up, frowning, wondering who he was talking to; then realized – she was wearing a green coat. The only green coated person on the transport.

“Gate D-eleven.” She replied. “Buffalo.” 

The man sitting next to her offered her a smile. “Long day?”

“Eventful.” She answered, dropping her phone into her bag, deciding she'd answer Ben when she got to her gate. “You?”

“Same. This was supposed to be my holiday off, but the flu has struck nearly all of my coworker's families, so here I am, jetting off to South Carolina for an antiques auction Wednesday.” He shrugged. “Well, at least I'm going somewhere where the weather is nice.” 

“Where are you coming from?” Leia grasped the seat in front of her as the cart took a turn in the terminal. 

“St Louis. I was rather surprised that I had to fly to Chicago instead of Atlanta. You ever been to that airport?” He chuckled. “Makes this place look tame.” 

She shook her head. “I've managed to avoid that one, thankfully, I've heard it's nearly as bad as Heathrow.” 

“There's the very definition of organized chaos.” The cart slowed down and several passengers got off as it came to a stop, and a few more climbed on. “So what do you do in Buffalo?”

“I'm an attorney.” Leia rubbed at her temple. “I'm here about eighteen hours early, getting back before that storm hits. I'm actually moving to St. Louis in a few weeks.” 

“Well, our winters are milder down there, so I'm already giving you permission to tell anyone who complains about any amount of snow over six inches that they have no idea what they're talking about.” He chuckled as the cart started up again. “Coming from Chicago or passing through?”

“Passing through. Went to South Dakota to see my brother and his family for Christmas.” She didn't feel the need to tell the man that she had only gotten in yesterday. Besides, this was nothing more than small talk.

“I've only been to the Dakotas once, back in that glorious time that was the seventies on a family road trip.” He chuckled. “So, from New York then. Yankees fan?”

Leia gave him a glare. “I hate, loathe, and despise the Yankees. I like the Boston Red Sox and whomever is playing the Giants.” 

“I think I can agree to that.” He held onto the seat in front of them as they came back to the main concourse. “My name's David.” 

“Nice to meet you, David.” She answered, “I'm Leia.” 

*

Ben fell back over the couch, groaning loudly as he did. Between the cold, the cramped seats, and travel stress, being able to stretch out was wonderful. “We're home.” The drive from the airport back here was seemed twice as bad as the drive to Sioux Falls, mainly due to the traffic. Gwen had picked them up and he hadn't been lying when he texted his mother about people not knowing how to drive. It was barely snowing here, but it was still crazy; the normally twenty minute drive lasted nearly an hour. Leslie had been waiting outside their door with a canvas bag of the requested groceries, and then the Phasmas had gone upstairs, leaving he and Rey alone.

Rey collapsed on top of him, and he let out a grunt under her. “Good to be home.” She moved so they were nose to nose, her holding herself up by her arms on either side of his head, not wanting to put too much weight on him – the cold usually did a number on his body in terms of soreness. Not to mention spending two hours crammed into a tiny seat on the airplane, which even she thought were too small, and she often felt to be half his size. “I forgot to ask, when do you work next?” 

He gave her a mischievous grin. “I agreed to do almost all of the overnights in exchange for being off from the twenty-first through the end of the year. I don't work until the third.” Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Arya disappear into Rey's studio. “So we have nowhere we need to be until about five o'clock Saturday night when we leave for the party at the Institute.” He lifted himself up just enough to kiss her chin.

“Nearly five whole days from now.” She leaned down, and pulled on his bottom lip with hers. “How will we ever pass the time?” She slanted her mouth over his, and he parted his lips, giving her control of the kiss, his tongue brushing against hers. He slid his hands down her back, then slipped them under her shirt, pulling the garment up, letting his nails brush against her skin. Her mouth broke away from his, and she looked into his eyes. “What are you up to?”

“Exactly what you think I am.” He leaned up, kissing her softly and tugged her shirt up past her shoulders and she ducked her head as he pulled it off and then dropped the garment onto the floor. “As for how to spend the time, I have a few ideas.” He slid his hand down her front, tugging at the worn bra strap on her right shoulder. “and as much as I would like to, this isn't the best place for us to start right now.”

“True” She pushed herself up to a sit, and his slid his hand down to her hip, letting her bra hang the way it was. “Tell you what, you put the groceries away, I'll put our phones on to charge. We can act responsible tomorrow.” 

“Good idea, although I believe we should spend the day in our pajamas.” he leaned up and brushed his lips against hers. “Well, when we decide to get out of bed.” He nudged her chin with his nose, “what do you think?”

“I think we're wasting time.” She slid off of the couch and he watched her go over to their pile of bags, fishing out their phones and chargers. “But I think we should brush our teeth at least.”

He chuckled in reply. “I can agree to that.” He pulled himself up to a sit, wincing as his hip joint popped. “Ow.” 

“That sounded like ow.” Rey went towards his room, carrying the phones, and flipped on the light. “Meet me in the bathroom in five?”

“Sure.” He stood and kissed her forehead, before going over and picking up the canvas bag from where it was sitting next to their luggage. “Let's hope we didn't forget anything in the fridge and we now have some sort of mold creature living with us.”

She let out a laugh, “I'm certain that if we did, Arya can kill it.” 

He shook his head as he went into the kitchen, carefully setting the eggs down in the fridge, and after putting the milk inside, shut the door and then set the loaf of bread in the pantry. Before he left the room, he filled Arya's water dish. Chuckling, he went back into the main room, turned off what few lights that were on as he went, and grabbed his toiletry kit from his bag before he slipped into the bath. 

Rey spat out a mouthful of toothpaste as he entered the room. “No mold monsters?”

“Nope.” He set the bag down on the small shelf next to the sink and got out his own toothbrush. “We may not have any fresh vegetables, but I know we have plenty of frozen ones.” 

She rinsed her toothbrush and set it in the holder. “You don't think the power will go out again, do you?”

“If it does, it won't be tonight, it'll more likely happen tomorrow morning.” He fixed his toothbrush and saw her move to sit on the lip of the tub in the mirror watching him. “I know how to take care of my teeth, you don't need to wait for me.”

“Maybe I want to.” She pulled her hair free of the bun it was in as he started to brush his teeth. “I think we should take a bath together tomorrow.”

He smiled, meeting her eyes in the mirror. “Bubbles or no?” he turned his attention towards the sink, and he felt her arms wrap around his waist, her head between her shoulder blades. He shook his head and tried to focus on brushing his teeth, then he felt Rey's thumb against his navel. “What are you up to?”

“Something I've been wanting to do for days, if not weeks.” She chuckled and he felt her hands at his waist, working his belt open, then undid his fly. A small whine escaped from the back of his throat as her hand slid under the fabric and into his boxers. “I'm surprised you're so well behaved, given that we haven't had time for weeks.” Her fingers wrapped around his cock, slowly stroking him with her hand. 

Ben nearly stabbed himself in the cheek with his toothbrush at her touch, her palm rubbing over the head, and his free hand came down to grasp the sink as she worked him with her hand. This was almost unfair in a way; but he wasn't going to deny this was one of the things he had thought about when he had done this to himself. Trying to remain somewhat dignified, he spat out a mouthful of paste, “Rey...”

“You really expect me to keep my hands to myself at this point?” She chuckled as she quickened her pace, “When all we've had for the past few weeks are our own hands and memories?” Her breath was hot against his ear, and she closed her teeth around the lobe, tugging and licking it as her other hand joined the first, one hand slipping down further to cup his balls and the toothbrush fell from his hand. “I've been working on my reading list.”

“Have you?” His hand shaking, he rinsed off the brush, setting it in the cup with hers. “Are you sticking to the list I gave you or have you also branched off into independent study?” He hissed as she nipped his ear again. 

“Little of both.” She slid her hands out of his boxers and onto his hips, pushing both them and his pants down. “Move back against the door.” 

Ben frowned slightly as he turned around and stepped aside, somewhat confused. “Rey, what are you thinking of doing?” 

She gave him a naughty look as she sank down onto her knees, wrapping one arm around his waist. “I want to try something.” Her tongue came out and traced the head of his cock, and he slammed his head against the door at the sensation. “Oh, you like that, don't you?” 

He swallowed hard, his hands flat against the door as she repeated the motion, and he couldn't hold back the whine as she did. “Rey...” He moved one of his hands to reach over and brush her hair from her face. “You don't have to...”

“I want to.” She answered, looking up at him as she lowered her mouth over his cock, her tongue going flat against the head, and he groaned, resisting the urge to thrust against her face. Her hand came up to cup his balls again as she sucked at him, her eyes half shut, her motions against him more uncertain than anything else. 

He moved his feet so he could completely rid himself of his pants and boxers, managing to toe off his socks at the same time. “Fuck.” He groaned as she pulled back just to encompass the head of his cock with her mouth, her tongue lapping up the precome that was leaking from it already. “Rey...” His hips involuntarily jerked forward, and he saw her eyes widen as his cock sank into her mouth, and he pulled back instantly, breathing hard. “I'm sorry.” He moved his hand down and pulled her to her feet, holding her against him.

“It's all right.” She rubbed her head against his chest. “I think we're both a little too worked up.” She closed her eyes and he swooped forward, catching her around the waist and lifting her into his arms. “Ben, I can walk!” She wrapped her legs around his hips, her arms around his shoulders. “This can't be good for your back.” In a rather impressive bit of maneuvering, she opened the door with her foot.

Ben smirked as he unhooked her bra with one hand, carrying her out of the bath and into his room. “You're light.” He grasped the bedclothes with one hand and threw them down towards the foot before he laid down on the bed, untangling her legs from his hips. “And it's a good thing you left this unmade.” He reached down and pulled her bra free, dropping it on the floor. He slipped his fingers down her front, tracing her nipples with his fingers, and they pebbled almost instantly under his touch. He kissed her softly, biting at her bottom lip for a moment, her hands slipping into his hair, and he hissed as her fingers grazed his ears. “Rey...” He pulled away long enough to remove his own shirt, then looked down at her. “I think someone is overdressed.” He slid his hands down to her jeans and started to unfasten them. “What do you think?”

Rey let out a slight chuckle. “I think you're about to fix that.” She lifted her hips up off the bed so he could pull her pants off, and she propped herself up on her elbows to watch as he knelt down on the floor to get them past her ankles, taking off her socks at the same time. “You forgot something.” She remarked, laughing. 

“Did I?” He tugged on her legs, pulling her closer to the edge of the bed. “Are you sure about that?” He kissed her inner thigh, and a hiss escaped her lips. “I don't think I did.” He leaned forward, running his nose along her panties, closing his eyes and groaning at the scent of her; the smell he could never entirely describe, it was simply _Rey._

She whined as he repeated the motion, then pressed his lips against the thin cotton cloth. “Now you want to tease me?” She let out a breath. “Ben, _please.”_

He chuckled, rising up to kiss her navel. “Just a little more, sweetheart.” He hooked his fingers around the waistband of her panties. “I feel I should return the favor you gave me.” Ben slipped the fabric down, stopping short when he discovered something rather unexpected. “When did you do this?” He slid one hand over her now bare mound, using his other to pull the garment off of her.

Rey's cheeks went slightly pink as his finger traced her outer lips, his lips starting to kiss down from her navel. “A few weeks ago... I just sort of touch it up every time I take a shower.” 

“Any particular reason?” He pushed her knees apart with his shoulders, and breathed against her bare flesh. While he didn't want to state it out loud, the sight of her hairless sex went straight to his own, making his cock throb twice as hard before. He slid his nose against her, then pressed the tip of his tongue against her clit. 

She keened as his tongue slid inside of her, and she covered her mouth with her hands, not wanting to let the scream free. This wasn't the first time Ben had eaten her out; but it was the first time it had felt this _intense_. His nose was pressed against her clit, and she swore she heard him growl as he laved and sucked at her flesh, and she had to pull up her legs to keep from kicking him. Then, suddenly, his mouth was gone and she let her hands fall back, release just out her grasp. “Ben.” She whimpered, and looked up into his face. 

“You didn't answer my question.” The head of his cock was nudging against her, and one of his hands came down to clasp hers. “I'm merely curious.” 

“So was I.” She bit at her bottom lip. “I wanted to see if... if things felt different.” She went slightly pink. “I know, silly reason..” 

“I don't think so.” He leaned down and pressed his lips against hers, tasting himself; knowing she was doing the same, and he moved his hips forward, breaking the kiss and groaning as his cock sank into her quim. “I've missed this.” He thrust against her, shuddering at the feel of her sheath. “It's been too long.” 

Rey gasped as she moved her hips up to meet his, squeezing the hand that held hers. “Yes.” She arched her back. “Please...” 

“Sweetheart.” He breathed against her ear, pumping hard against her. “Like this?” He knew that neither of them could stand or last if they wanted to draw this out; what they both needed was a hard, fast fuck – at least, to start out with. He rose up on his knees on the bed, wrapping her legs around his waist as he drove himself into her. 

“Yes.” She groaned, wrapping her free arm around him, pressing her mouth against his shoulder to smother her scream as she abruptly came, and she felt him still above her as he followed her over the edge, and the world slowly came back into focus; their hard breathing slowly being overtaken by the sound of the heater roaring to life. She fell back against the bed, laughing. “Shit.” 

“You okay?” He slipped out of her and laid down on his side next to her, reaching out to brush her hair from her face. 

“I'm fantastic, how about you?” She reached over and set her hand against his cheek. “Let's not wait that long again if we can possibly help it.” 

Ben chuckled and kissed her gently. “Agreed.” He rose from the bed, kicking her jeans towards his closet as he turned out the lights. For a moment he debated going to turn the one in the bathroom off, but decided that given there were things strewn between here and there, it'd be safer to leave it on. He shut the bedroom door partway and came back over to the bed, sitting down with his back to Rey. “Random question, but did you text Finn or Poe and let them know we already left South Dakota? They might look at the weather report and freak out.” 

Rey coughed. “Excuse me. No, I think that was the one thing I forgot.” He felt her slide up behind him, kissing the back of his neck. “I'll do it first thing after coffee in the morning.” 

He turned and kissed her nose. “Tired?” Even in the semi-darkness, he could see her flush. “What's wrong?”

“I think our welcome home sex just had the same affect on my brain as morning sex does.” She leaned forward and kissed him back, her hand sliding into his hair as she pressed her head against his.

“I'm rather awake myself, but leaving this bed is the last thing I want to do.” He pressed his lips against hers for a moment, tugging on her bottom one with both of his, and he glanced down at the gap between them for a moment, his hands coming up to cup her breasts. “I guess we'll just have to try and exhaust ourselves.” 

Rey tugged absently on his hair, and slid her other hand down his back. “I'm always up for that.” She pulled him down into another kiss. 

**

Leia punched in the code to turn off the alarm and after double checking that she'd shut the garage door, reset it. The clock on the microwave read three-fifteen and she yawned, hanging up her coat and keys, fishing her phone from her pocket, and checked it; she had two messages. One from her brother, another from Han. She yawned and read the one from Luke. It had been sent at eleven last night.

_Mom will call tomorrow afternoon to check on you. Don't let her know I told you._

“She'll know, Luke.” She walked tiredly up the stairs, “she always knows.” She blinked, then made her way through the hallway, skirting around the large bags of donations and went up the stairs, ready to just fall down on her bed and sleep until noon. As she went into her room, she checked the message from her husband.

_Went by the house and no one answered. Where are you?_

She looked at the time, and frowned. It'd been sent just three hours ago. “I think the question is what the hell were you doing at the house in the middle of the night.” She set her phone down on the bedside table, connecting it to the charger that was there and went into the bathroom, changing out of her jeans and sweater into a pajamas, then crawled into bed. “Maybe I should get a pet when I move to St. Louis.” 

She grabbed the covers, pulled them over her head, and fell asleep.

**

Rey's grip on the headboard slowly became slack, her forehead pressed against Ben's. She could feel his hands on her hips, still rocking her against him, his harsh, fractured breath letting her know just how close he was to coming. She'd lost track of how many orgasms he'd wrung from her since the first; and she managed to find her knees, thrusting forward, and she smiled as he opened his eyes, meeting hers. “Ben.” She breathed against lips. “Just let go.”

He grunted slightly and his head fell back, their eyes still on each other as he came; that beautiful, almost disbelieving look on his face as he did. The look she was never quite could entirely sort out; it didn't entirely fit into the picture she had of him. She pressed her lips against his cheek, sliding her arms under his. “Rey.” He murmured against her ear, his hand running slowly up and down her spine.

She rested her head against his chest, listening as his heartbeat slowly went back to its normal rhythm, and she let out a surprised squawk when he moved both of them down so his head was on the pillows. “I could have helped.” 

“You are so tired.” He chuckled, kissing her forehead and rolling them onto their sides, and his cock slipped free of her quim. “We're both tired.” He sat up only to grab the bedclothes and pull them up to their shoulders. “How are your legs?”

“Numb.” She chuckled, tucking her head under his chin. “Sleepy.” She felt his lips press against the crown of her head and she smiled. “You need sleep too.” 

Ben sighed against her, his hand resting on the small of her back. “Good night.” The arm over her tightened somewhat, and she moved closer, smiling when she could hear his heart again; that single sound was one of the most comforting things Rey could think of. 

“Good night.” She replied, closing her eyes and focused solely on the steady thumping next to her ear, and drifted off to sleep. 

**

“Poe!” The tone was one that the young man was unfamiliar with; and he wasn't even certain who was speaking to him at the moment. Whomever it was, they were also shaking him by the arm. The last time he could remember this happening, he'd been a kid, and it'd been a stormy night in August. “Poe!” 

He frowned under the covers and turned over, groaning. “Mom? What's wrong? Tornado?” He sat up, rubbing his eyes. “I'm awake, what's going on?” 

“Do you know when Rey was leaving South Dakota?” His mother's face was white, and he blinked a few times, still not entirely alert.

“This morning... Finn's got her flight number, I think. I know she's flying on United, but other than that, I'm not sure.” He blinked. “What time is it?” 

“It's just after nine.” She sat down on his bed and took his hand, and now exhaustion was washed away by fear. “Find out. Go wake Finn up and ask him.” 

“Mom, what's going on?” He swallowed. “Just tell me.” 

“A United flight out of Sioux Falls bound for Chicago went down in the storm that's raging up there. It's all over the news.” His mother looked ready to be sick. 

Poe felt his heart turn to ice. “I'll go wake up Finn. We don't need to panic just yet, mom. Rey said she was leaving this morning. In her language, that could be as late as ten or eleven.” He threw back the covers and raced for the basement.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A big thank you to my beta reader, ReyloRobyn2011. Have you read her fics yet? If you haven't, [go check them out right now. ](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ReyloRobyn2011/pseuds/ReyloRobyn2011%22)
> 
> Come say 'howdy' on Tumblr, @soldierofhalla17


	10. Morning of Chaos

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey and Ben have a rough morning, Leia has unexpected visitors, and Han has no idea what's going on anymore. (did he ever?)

The buzzing woke Ben up. His hand slid out from under the covers, groping towards the noise, not certain if it was his phone or Rey's that was making a sound to rival a swarm of hornets. He wasn't even sure how long he'd been asleep. Beside him, Rey mumbled something into the pillow and then let out a low groan. He grasped one of the phones, not opening his eyes to see whose it was, and tugged it towards him, removing it from the charger and hit the answer button. “Hello, thank you for calling Michael's, where creativity happens, how may I direct your call?”

“Who the hell is this? Where's Rey?” A voice that was half angry, half scared shouted in his ear. The sheer panic did more for waking over him up than the phone itself. 

“Uh...” He looked over at the other side of the bed, and then rubbed his eyes, willing himself to wake up. “She's asleep...” he tried to place the voice, and decided that of her two friends in Texas, one was more likely to call than the other. “Is this Finn?”

“Yeah...” There was a pause, and Ben heard him take several deep breaths, almost all of them ragged, as if he couldn't believe the two of them were speaking to each other. “Where are you two?”

“Chicago, we got in last night.” He leaned over and shook Rey gently. “One second here.” He squinted over towards his dresser, his alarm revealing it was just after nine. “Finn's on the phone.” 

“Nnn.” She burrowed her face into her pillow, her whole body curling up under the covers while her hand groped outward. “Tell him I'll call him later today.” 

Ben frowned as his own phone went off. “I'm going to hand her the phone, but I can't promise she'll talk to you, okay, Finn?”

“Yeah, yeah that works.” Finn coughed. “Glad you're both safe.”

He shrugged at the statement, wondering what in the world he was talking about and pulled the covers back enough to set the phone against Rey's ear, before reaching for his own phone, the ring tone identifying the caller. “Good morning Nate.”

“BB? Is that you?” Nate sounded as panicked as Finn had. “Holy shit, Ben, tell me you're still in South Dakota.”

“Back in Chicago, actually. What's going on?” He saw Rey sit up and look at him, her face pale. 

“There's been a plane crash.” His friend took several deep breaths. “Sioux Falls to Chicago, I thought you were on it!” 

“Shit.” He muttered, then his mind kicked on. Next to him, Rey rose from the bed and went over to his dresser, and tossed him a pair of sweats, then pulled on one of his too-small nightshirts, her focus more on her phone than him. “Nate, are you still in Buffalo?” 

“Yeah, I'm here until tomorrow morning.” He coughed. “Oh crud, I better go check on Jen, she's probably pounding on your mom's door as we speak.” 

“All right, all right...” He took a breath. “my mom already knows where I am, she showed up at Uncle Luke's on Christmas, flew back with us.” He set the phone down long enough to shrug into his sweatpants and he heard Rey turn on the TV in the other room, and the Pioneer Woman's voice was abruptly replaced by some anchor on Channel 7 he couldn't name. 

“Yeah, I was wanting to ask if your mom had been body snatched.” He laughed. “Jen and I went over there to pack up your stuff, and she was all _– nice_.” 

“I'm fine, Finn.” Rey's voice reached him. “I know, I should have.... holy shit, Ben get in here!” 

“I'm coming!” He paused, still not entirely awake and not fully comprehending what was going on. “Go calm Jen down, okay, Nate? Give her a hug from me.” 

“All right, BB.” He coughed, “I thought I told you to _never_ scare me like this again! And you go and do it almost six months after the last time you did!” 

Ben came out of his room, and saw Rey sitting on the couch, her face white. “I'm sorry, Nate.” He went over and sat by Rey, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. “We're here, in Chicago, safe and sound.” Arya jumped up and let out an indignant chirp. “Yes, I'm including you, little miss.” He took a breath. “Call me after you talk to Jen.” 

“No problem.” He muttered something that Ben couldn't understand. “You're not dying on me, you hear, BB? You scare me like this again, and so help me, I will kill you myself!”

He ran a hand through his hair, “don't say that, Nate. And you wouldn't do it either.” He smiled. “Like you could do something like that to Jen.” He reached down and squeezed Rey's knee, and she had lowered her phone, setting it on the table in front of them. “Talk to you in a bit.” 

“Yeah. Glad you guys are okay.” the call ended and set his phone down next to Rey's, then set his hand on her back, rubbing it.

“This is unbelievable.” She nodded towards the screen, wrapping her arm around his waist, then put her head on his shoulder. “We were supposed to be on that plane.” 

Ben swallowed, the video feed of the wreckage wasn't too clear, due to the snow and smoke. All there seemed to be was a huge smudge of gray on white. “We're all right, Rey. We're safe.” He kissed her forehead, doing his best to maintain calm.

“I know.” she gulped. “It's just...” She pulled away, standing up. “I'm going to get myself a pair of sweats and you a shirt, then we're going to have to start making phone calls. We should make a list, make sure we don't forget anyone.” She walked towards her room, muttering. 

He stood up. “I'll go heat up the water for coffee.” He took up his phone as he headed into the kitchen. He had no sooner started heating the water when it went off. “I wonder if I should tell Dr. Andres what his ring-tone is.” He took a breath before answering. “Good morning, Doctor.” 

“Thank the Lord.” The man sounded genuinely relieved. “Are you still in South Dakota?” 

“No, Rey and I came back last night. I'd rather wait to discuss my vacation tomorrow, if you don't mind.” He laughed. “Suffice to say, it wasn't what I was expecting.” 

“Depending on the storm, I'm not certain if the office will be open tomorrow or not. I'll make sure to call you and reschedule if the weather remains bad.” He coughed. “And I know I've told you that you don't have to talk your parents calls if you don't want to, but I believe this is an exception.”

“I know that,” He put a doughnut shoppe blend pod into the machine for Rey. “and I will. Hope to see you tomorrow. And enjoy the rest of your Hanukkah.” 

“Stay safe, Benjamin.” Doctor Andres coughed again. “And thank you.” 

He hung up as Rey came into the kitchen, carrying a shirt and a pair of socks. “I'm not sure if this one fits you or not.” She held it out. “Where the hell did you find a Team Thor shirt? I could have used one of these my senior year of high school.” 

He pulled on the dark blue shirt with silver markings and red lettering. “The Great Global Gift Exchange 2015. It's from some guy in Australia who went to high school with Chris Hemsworth.” 

“You and Chris Hemsworth are about the same size.” Rey leaned against the counter, folding her arms. “Who'd you send a gift too?” 

“A lady in Iceland. I sent her a Cubs goat plush animal and the _Game of Thrones_ coloring book.” he crouched down, picking up Arya's food bowl. “This is almost ready.” He nodded towards the pot and went to the pantry. “I haven't opened my package for this year.”

“Presents after phone calls.” She ran her hands through her hair, and she still had a nervous aura about her. “Don't forget to check your messages. I had about twenty of them – all from Finn and Poe. We must have been deeply asleep for the phones not to have woken us up.” 

*

Leia had just finished making herself a cup of coffee, when the doorbell rang, followed by a pounding knock. She rubbed her eyes, walking into the hallway, still not entirely awake. She peered through the glass and saw an ashen faced Jennifer Quirk ringing her bell, and she opened the door, frowning. “Good morning, Jennifer, how...” Her words were cut off as the young woman sprang forward and hugged her tightly; she was sobbing. “Jennifer? Calm down, please...” She tried to untangle the girl's arms, but she refused to let go. She stepped back so she could close the glass door. “What's going on?, tell me.”

“Haven't you seen the news?” Her voice cracked. “Ben... oh, sweet Lord in Heaven...”

“What's happened to Ben?” She frowned. “He was perfectly all right when we parted ways at O'Hare last night.” 

She jumped back from her, gaping. “Ben's.... Ben's alive?”

“Jennifer, I haven't the slightest idea what you're talking about. Ben and Rey flew back to Chicago last night, and the reason I know this is because I was on the same plane.” She looked out the glass to see a Cadillac pull into her drive. “You come on back here into the kitchen....” she stopped speaking as Nathan Turabian burst into her house without knocking. “And good morning to you as well.” 

“Jen, calm...” He was cut off as the girl sprang and hugged him tightly. 

“Ben's fine! He's alive!” She shrieked, and started crying again. 

Leia looked at her son's friends, feeling rather shocked. She wanted to know what the hell was going on, and she pinched the bridge of her nose, taking a deep breath and decided to take a rational approach. “Would you two like some coffee?” 

Nate reached back and shut the door. “Coffee would be great, Ms. Organa, thank you.” He wrapped an arm around Jennifer. “I'm guessing you've not heard the news.” 

“What news?” she called as she went into the kitchen, just as her phone lit up, and she blinked at the name on the screen. She picked it up. “Ben? What's going on?” 

“Morning.” He coughed. “Turn on the news. I haven't been able to get a hold of dad, he's not answering his phone.” 

“He may be headed back for Europe.” she frowned, taking a sip of coffee and moving aside as Nate hit the heat button on the pot. “Cups are in the cupboard above.” She turned her attention back to her son. “Just tell me what's happened.” 

“Uh...” there was a pause. “The plane Rey and I were supposed to be on this morning crashed.” 

Leia had to grab the counter to keep from falling. “Dear God.” She covered her mouth as she felt Jen's hand on her back. “That explains what your friends are doing here.” She couldn't quite explain how she felt at this moment; relieved and at the same time, stunned. “I'm relieved you two are safe and sound.” This could have been a terrible day – a horrible day, but instead – she cleared her throat. “I actually have no idea where your father is. I just know that he came by the house last night around midnight.” 

“That doesn't make any bloody sense.” Nate muttered. “Jen, you see anything?”

“I was asleep, but I could ask my brothers. I know they were up past one, playing Mario Kart.” The girl pulled away as the front door opened. “Am I the only one who knows how to use a doorbell?” She was cut off as Han walked into the kitchen. 

“Never mind Ben, he just walked into the house.” Leia replied, and she heard Ben say something to Rey on his end of the line. “Did you want to speak with him?” 

“What?” Han looked around, confused. “Who are you talking to?”

“Ben.” She answered, and then she had her phone wrestled from her hand by the man.

“Where are you?” Han's voice was in a tone that she recognized instantly; a tone that was one of the last things their son needed to hear. “When?” 

Jen tugged on her arm and she stepped back as Nate moved between her and her soon-to-be ex-husband. “This could get ugly.” the girl's voice was barely audible. 

Nate reached out and took hold of the wrist that was holding the phone, and he used Han's surprise to remove it from his hand and pulled it up. “Ben, you probably have a dozen calls to make, so I'll just tell your mom to call you later this afternoon. Around five our time, okay?” He ended the call and set the phone down on the counter. He let go of Han. “I'm sorry, do you live here?” 

“What?” Han blinked, clearly confused. “Listen...”

“I think you should go, Mr. Solo.” There was something alarming in his tone, and Leia realized she'd heard it before; directed at her – this past June. “Ben's safe in Chicago, and Ms. Organa, no doubt, has a busy day ahead of her.” Nate lifted his chin. “I understand that you are concerned about Ben, but you could have simply called him.”

“He hasn't answered a call from me since November.” Han stiffened, and Leia shot a look back at Jennifer, who simply shook her head. “And I didn't think...”

“I believe that given the circumstances, he would have answered today.” He gave an almost imperceptible shrug. “I also know that Ben has only left Chicago twice this year, and both times were to go see his uncle. Seems to me that if he didn't want to be seen or noticed, he could vanish quite easily.” 

“Don't pretend you understand what it's like for me and Ben...I know I work...” 

“I know damn well what it's like.” Nate's voice was scaring Leia. “I know it wasn't you who taught him how to drive a car, fix a flat tire, be a damn Eagle Scout.” There was nothing in venom in his tone now. “Given that Bail Organa is dead, should I call _my_ father over here to give you this lecture? Because I sure as hell don't remember _you_ being there on any family days at Scout Camp. Or how about Jen runs back to her house and ask _her_ dad to do it?” 

Pieces were rapidly falling into place in Leia's mind. She'd questioned herself over and over where Ben had gotten the nature he had; chalking most of it up to the influence of her mom and stepfather. She'd forgotten to take into account his friend's families. Nate and Jen had stay-at-home mothers and fathers who were home at least six out of seven nights of any given week. It seemed only logical that her son would spend time with his friends and their parents; because even when she herself had been home, she hadn't really been _here_. She cleared her throat. “Nathan, it's fine, I don't...”

“That argument doesn't work with me, Ms. Organa, I've heard it so many times from Ben that I'm immune.” It wasn't said harshly, but she could hear the accusation in the words. Even from her spot behind the young man, she saw her husband stiffen.

“What's that supposed to mean?” Han was frowning.

“Exactly what you think it does.” Jennifer finally spoke, and Leia felt her squeeze her hand. “I've heard that argument too. More than I care to remember.” She stepped in front of her, joining Nate. “Mr. Solo, I don't want to be rude, but I believe there is little point in you staying here. Ben stopped waiting for you to come home six years ago. Maybe even before then, because trying to get anything out of Ben is next to impossible. I'd have a better chance of turning Diet Coke into Dom Perignon.”

“Let me know if you figure out how to do that before August, Meghan and I could save some money on our wedding.” Nate muttered. 

Leia snorted. “I believe Jennifer is enough of a saint that she might actually be able to.” 

“I don't have time for this.” Han shook his head and she saw him walk out of the kitchen. A moment later the front door opened and closed, and then a car started up in the driveway. 

Nate turned around. “That was weird.” 

Leia took up her coffee cup and walked over to the table. “I'm still waking up.” She looked her guests over. “Now, why don't you two get yourselves some coffee?” She managed a smile. “I believe we need to have a talk.” 

*

Once she and Ben had eaten breakfast, called their academic advisors, Michael's, Arya's vet, the Skywalkers, and posted a sign on the front door stating that they were alive and well – Rey fell back on the couch with a loud groan. “I don't know about you, but I'm hoping for a nice, uneventful year starting on Sunday. Is it me, or has two-thousand sixteen been really insane?”

“It's not just you.” Ben sat down on the far end of the couch and she moved so her head was on his thigh. “of course, if having this insanity is the price I pay for the Cubs winning the World Series, then what the hell.” 

She snorted. “Next year it's going to be the Astros who win it all. These trips to the playoffs only to be left in second or third place... it's gone on long enough.” She looked up at him. “no offense to your beloved Cubs.” 

He set a hand on her forehead, stroking it gently. “None taken. I had to endure far worse in grade school surrounded by Mets fans.” He let out a sigh. “Although I think the odds of us actually having gotten on that plane aren't as small as we think they are. True, we were scheduled to be on it, but we just as easily could have been on the ten o'clock flight last night if we hadn't made the seven. Or, if my mom hadn't come to De Smet, we could very well be sitting on the couch at my Uncle's, instead of ours.” 

“Point.” She looked over at the television, still blaring news about the crash. This was turning into quite a morbid start to the start of their vacation at home. “I think we need to change the subject. What do you say we turn this off and have our second Christmas morning?” 

“I can agree to that.” He took a sip from his coffee mug before setting it down. “I'll plug in the tree.” He got up from the couch and went over to turn the lights on. “Which package do you want first?”

She sat up and grabbed the remote, a feeling of relief washing over her as silence fell over the apartment, save for the sound of the winter storm outside. She tucked her feet up under her legs as she set it back down. “The one from Finn. I trust him more than Poe to not give me anything embarrassing.” 

Ben snickered. “No, just send you the wrong size of clothing.” 

“That too.” She chuckled as he came over carrying the gift with the ornament pattered paper. “Although I think he just goes with whatever size his mother wears, and thinks it'll work. Hence the reason the hoodie he gave me was overlarge.” 

“Good thing it was, you could layer under it.” He replied, handing her the package, setting down his own oblong package that was wrapped in shiny green paper with a silver ribbon. “Looks like something a Slytherin would wrap.” 

“I though the scarves your aunt made us all were sweet.” She laughed. “I didn't think anything of it when you asked me what my Hogwarts house was.” 

“We'll make sure to wear them on Saturday night. The Hufflepuff and the Ravenclaw.” He removed the letter from under the bow. “Let's see where in the world my gift came from this year.” 

Rey chuckled as she undid the paper on her own package. “They know how to wrap better than I do.” She frowned. “Then again, I haven't had that much practice.” 

He shook his head and opened the envelope that had been stuck on the package. “And English isn't this person's first language.” He scanned the letter. “Nagoya, I don't even know where in Japan that is.” He looked over at her. “Do you?”

“I've never taken a class on Japanese Geography. Or any class having to deal with Japan, except for World History and anything having to do with World War Two.” she opened the box from Finn, and scanned the note inside. “Peanut – never forget where your baseball loyalties lie. Merry Christmas.” Rey smirked. “It's not like I've joined forces with the White Sox fans.”

“I should hope not!” Ben retorted as he finished unwrapping his own package. “Gwen would never speak to you again.” He gave her a look. “ _I_ might never speak to you again.” 

“Yes you would.” She lifted the lid and caught a flash of orange under the tissue paper. “What in...” She pulled out a shirt, letting it fall open to reveal the name 'ALTUVE' over the number '27'. “Oh wow...” the box fell from her lap and something rolled out of it, hitting Ben's foot. “No way...” 

He reached down and held it out towards her. “I'll pick you up a display case next time I work.” 

She took the offered baseball, turning over in her hands, and she nearly screamed at the sight of the signature of her favorite player on the Astros. “I can't believe this!” She set the shirt and the ball on the table, about ready to cry. “Jose Altuve plays second base.” 

Ben grinned as he dug into the tissue paper of his own gift. “I'm starting to like Finn more every day.” His face turned quizzical as he pulled out a book with a bright pink cover, and then he started to laugh. “I don't understand what this says, but I know what it is.” He held it up. “It's the Japanese edition of _Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix_.” He set it down on the table and then drew out a plush animal that looked like an eel. “Chunichi Dragons.” He set it next to the book. “My goat needs a friend.” 

“You're funny.” She got up and went over to the tree, crouching down beside it and resting her hand on the package she had stuck behind it before they left for South Dakota. “How about we do our gifts to each other last?” 

“Sounds good.” He replied, leaning forward to take a drink from his coffee mug and rolled up some of the tissue paper into a ball and tossed it towards Arya, who was lying on the floor, watching the pair of them. “There you go, Little Miss.” 

She picked up her gift from Poe and his from Gwen. “Maybe I should get a cat.” 

“We'll get you a houseplant first. Given how busy of a semester you have scheduled, you might not have time for a cat.” He grinned at her over his mug. “Don't worry, I won't bring you a fake one home from work.”

*

Han sat down on the bed in his hotel room, feeling torn. He was so utterly relieved that Ben was alive, but the scene at Leia's hadn't exactly been what he thought it was going to be. Much to his shame, he had no idea who the two twenty-somethings who had been in the house with her were – other than that they were friends with his son. How fucking pathetic was that? His relationship with his child was so fractured he wasn't even familiar with his friends. He could vaguely remember the Christmas when Ben had turned seventeen, and had been grieving for two other friends, but still...

“I fucked up.” He echoed the same words that Leia had spoken to him on Thanksgiving. But he knew that unlike his soon-to-be ex, he'd done worse. Work hadn't always been that demanding of him, and he'd avoided coming back to New York for at least the last nine years. Would it have been too hard for him to call more often? Stay in touch? It shouldn't have been exclusively Ben's responsibility – communication was a two way street, and when he stopped talking, it had been far too easy for Han to just let it go. 

When that was the last thing he should have done. 

He and Leia should have just gotten divorced when Ben was thirteen. 

He should have gotten on a plane back in July and gone to Chicago to see his son. 

There was no way to put this family back together, there hadn't been way to do that since the day Sonja called him and told him that she was pregnant. Shit, it went beyond that to the day he met the woman. To this day, he still couldn't understand why he had chosen to have an affair; or maybe he did know and just didn't want to admit it. He'd been lonely, lonely for the family who stayed put in Buffalo, waiting for him. Waiting and he never came back; never when he should. It was a mess and while he could see it all in front of him, instead of cleaning it, or even clearing it away – all he could think was that he could somehow _fix_ things.

Once, he'd been good at fixing things. 

But this was damage beyond repair. There was nothing to do but pick himself up, and move onward. The way that Ben already had. 

Han sighed and picked up his tablet, hitting the screen once to recheck his schedule; he wasn't due to show up for work until the middle of January, a week before the inaugural cruise of Viking's new trip around the world. He had twenty days off. “To hell with this.” He put the tablet down and picked up his phone. “Siri, find me a travel package to Chicago. Leaving before New Year's.” 

“Okay. One moment.” The automated voice replied. 

Damned if he was going to leave for three months without having the long overdue conversation with his son. 

*

“I was unaware that having such an ancient waffle iron offended you.” Ben laughed as he looked up from the open package in his lap. “Or did you tell Leslie and she had a small fit about it?” 

Rey shook her head. “I don't know, I told her about the old iron, but I didn't think she'd give you a brand new one.” She tilted her head to the side. “And besides, that's a Belgian waffle iron. We don't have one of those.”

“True.” He set the box down carefully. “Guess that just leaves the last two.” He reached down and picked up his gift for her and held it out to her. “Merry Christmas, Rey.” 

“Thank you.” She took it with both hands and gave it a slight shake, and then frowned at the noise. “Not clothes.” 

“No.” He chuckled, then looked down at his hands. “But I did have a little help in picking part of it out.” He watched as she removed the bow, leaning over to stick it on the top of his head. “What's that for?”

“Payback.” she grinned as she worked the paper off. “Who helped you? Which Phasma?”

“Neither.” He sat back. “A girl I work with did.” 

“Oh?” She pushed off the lid and unfolded the paper, and her jaw dropped. “Are these Royal & Langnickel?” She picked up one of the brushes and looked it over. “For acrylic paint”

“I figured they'd be more practical than oil or watercolor ones.” he shrugged as she set the box down and took out the tubes of paint. “I didn't know what all you needed, so I went with what my coworker said were essentials.” 

“This is perfect!” She set the box down on the table and leaned over and kissed him. “Thank you.” 

He returned the kiss. “You're welcome. Sorry there's no canvas, but I'd have had a hell of a time getting that back on the L.” 

“That's fine.” She hugged him and rose to her feet, going over to the tree and came back with a flat package. “Just let me know the next time there's a massive sale on it, so I can convince Gwen to drive over there. No way am I getting behind the wheel of that tank of hers. Although I think it might be these crazy Illinois drivers, and not the car.” She sat down and held the gift out. “Merry Christmas, Ben.” 

“Thank you.” He took it and undid the wrapping and lifted the lid. Lying on the tissue paper within was a heavy-duty bound journal, and a package of pens. “is this your way of saying I have too many spiral bound notebooks?” He grinned.

“No, I just thought you might need one good book that's easier to keep track of than your dozen spirals.” She grinned and leaned over and kissed his cheek. “Not to mention most of your spirals are getting full.” 

“Point.” He set the box down carefully next to the table and then settled back on the couch, and Rey promptly curled up next to him, her head on his chest. “Oh, hello there.”

“We didn't get to snuggle this morning. It's time for a snuggle.” She rubbed her cheek against him. “Don't you agree?”

He wrapped his arm around her, closing his eyes and smiling. “Absolutely.” He took a breath. “Five, four...”

“What are you counting down...” Rey started laughing as he felt Arya land on his lap. “We weren't going to leave you out, silly kitty.” 

Arya chirped in reply.


	11. A Spattering of Emotions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey doesn't know what to think, Ben's tumbling down, Leia's lightening up and Diana's in agony.

_The house was hers by default. There were no other heirs to speak of, no one to come and shoo her out of her aunt and uncle's home. Susan Pevensie tucked herself into the large, out of place comfortable easy chair before the fire, staring blankly into the flames. Her whole family – father, mother, brothers, sister, cousin, aunt and uncle – gone in a single day. Where had she been? Why wasn't she there with them? The whole day before was wiped from her memory as if it had never happened, as if there had been no time between her rising from bed and the police officer looking for her at the shop._

_She had been left behind, left alone – and the funeral had brought no comfort. The only relief was that the rain had waited until now to start. How long would the world excuse her sorrows? Was she expected to mourn them all at once, allotting time each day to each of those she had lost? A decade would be needed for Lucy alone – her sweet, innocent, precious sister, with her unshakable faith and pure heart._

_Susan glowered at the bottle of whiskey standing on the table next to the teapot, looking oddly proud for taking the place of the creamer. She didn't even remember putting it there, nor could she feel the familiar burn of the alcohol in her throat. Anger washed over her and, without a moment's hesitation, she seized the bottle by the neck and hurled it with deadly accuracy at the grate. The glass shattered on the back of the hearth causing the flames to roar, the sound echoing in her mind and reminding her of a lion._ \- From _The Indestructible Bow_ by RedSoxCubsFan92 on AO3.

Rey listened to the sound of the shower turning on, lying absently on her bed. With everything unpacked and put away, and with the events of the morning, the day had seemed unnaturally short. The faint smell of dinner in the crock-pot wafted through the air, and she let out a long breath. It had been one of those days when too much had happened and she hadn't had time to process all of it. She picked up her phone, deciding that talking to Finn might at least help her sort some of her confusion out. She hit his contact number and waited. It only rang twice before he answered.

“Hey, Peanut.” She could hear the smile in his voice. “How are things?”

“Better.” She replied, sitting up and moving so she could lean against the pillows and the headboard. “It's been a strange day. Sorry again for not calling when we got in last night. I should have texted you as soon as we were on our way back to the apartment.”

“Hey, you were probably tired. I'm just glad you're safe and sound.” He drew in a breath, and she already knew what was coming. “Rey, are you and Ben sleeping with each other?”

She swallowed, a feeling of shame washing over her for not telling him before; she'd been rather negligent of a great many things as of late. “Is it a problem if I am?” She paused. “No, I don't mean it like that, I just...”

“You're being careful, right, Rey? He's what, five years older than you?” Finn took a breath. “I worry about you, Peanut.” 

“I know you do, and I'm thankful for that.” She heard Arya come into the room and saw her jump onto the bed. “And yes, I'm being careful. I'm not stupid, Finn.” 

“I know that.” There was a scuffling sound on his end of the line. “Sorry, I was outside when you called. Feel kind of bad about that, I've got sunshine and you've got a snowstorm.” 

“It's not so bad, I'm getting used to the weather.” It wasn't a total lie. “I forgot to include the weather when I decided that all I wanted to do was go to De Paul.” She hugged herself with her free arm. “I feel like I've been neglecting you. We used to talk every other day, and now it's moved to once a week, if that.” 

He sighed. “Rey, we're miles apart, and it's not surprising. We both have a lot going on in our lives, and really, I'd be more surprised if we were still calling each other daily than the way we are now.” There was another pause and she heard the unmistakable sound of the Dameron's overstuffed leather couch that made a very distinct noise when you sat on it. “When you first told me about Ben's family situation, I didn't like it. I think that stems from not really having one growing up, and it doesn't make sense to me that a family could act that way towards each other.” 

“Ben doesn't talk about his family problems willingly because he's worried about upsetting me.” She looked down in her lap and a moment later, felt Arya's front paws on her legs. “And I thought it was annoying at first, or some stupid noble thing on his part.”

“Yeah, Peanut. I figured what it was is that the best example of a family we've seen a lot of is Poe's, and in this day in age, what the Damerons have is rare. But because it's what we've seen the most of outside of television and books, we somehow think that's what it's like for all families, when it's not. The Damerons are the exception, not the rule.” He took a breath. “And we don't get it. We'd be happy with any family, and problems we think are trivial aren't really. Not for those who are living them.” 

“Well, now that I've met more of Ben's family, I can see the picture a little clearer.” She leaned back against the headboard. “His mom is weird. I thought it was my imagination, but Mara told me that her behavior wasn't what she remembered her sister-in-law being like, and Miss Padme said it's because she's finally leaving Buffalo, a place, according to her, that no one has been really happy to be since Ben's grandfather died over forty years ago.” She rubbed her fingers together and Arya came up to her lap, stretching out over both of her legs. “Hey, you want to hear something completely insane?” 

“You tell me, then I'll judge how crazy it is.” He laughed, and she instantly felt more at ease.

“Ben was the ring-bearer at my parent's wedding!” She grinned, setting her free hand on Arya's back, running her hand along the animal, who instantly started purring. “I have photographic evidence!”

“Seriously?” Finn chuckled. “That is wild.” There was a shuffling sound on his end of the line. “How else are things? Ready for next semester?”

“I want to catch up on some sleep first.” She shuddered as the wind roared against the building, and she could hear the frozen drizzle striking the window. “Oh, it's ugly outside.” Rey leaned back just enough to see behind the blind, and nearly everything was white. “Yeah, definitely not going anywhere anytime soon.”

“It's in the seventies and sunny down here.” He replied, sounding smug. “Poe and I were thinking of heading for the beach tomorrow.” 

Rey scrunched up her face in mock anger, even though he couldn't see her. “I hope it rains!” The idea of warm weather sounded absolutely wonderful right now. 

“Aw, come on, Peanut. You just had your first white Christmas. Something neither Poe nor I have ever had.”

“All I know is that one morning in October, I woke up to a flurry and couldn't believe it. It was still _October_.” She heard the shower turn off, and she went back to petting Arya. “So how many hours you taking next semester?”

“Sixteen, plus my campus work. I am so glad I spent a summer in food service at Minute Maid Park so I'd be prepared for it.” He sighed. “Poe and I are going to try and get jobs there again this year. How about you?”

“I think I'm going to look for a better job up here and stay the summer.” She rolled her eyes. “Hell, I could probably get a job at Wrigley Field doing the same thing you guys do.” 

“Just as long as it's not for the Sox.” He retorted. “You can like whatever National League team you want.” 

“Speaking of, thank you for the awesome gift! And yes, the shirt will fit.” She grinned, glancing over to her dresser where she'd put the baseball for safe keeping.

“Oh, you're welcome.” He coughed. “Stupid allergies. And thank you for mine.”

“You're welcome.” She rubbed her temple as Arya stood and went back down to the foot of the bed, watching her. “The weather may be lousy, but I do like it up here.” She didn't want to think about leaving Chicago, not right now, leaving and going back to Houston almost felt like quitting, even if it was just for a handful of months. “Plus, if I came back, I'd have to find a place to live, worry about transportation and what not.” 

“True.” He laughed lightly. “I miss you, Peanut.”

“Miss you too.” She heard the bathroom door open and then heard Ben go into his room and close the door. “Anything else going on down there?”

“Not really, you talk about not ready for classes, I'm already dreading the drive back to Georgia.” He laughed and she heard part of a conversation. “Rey, I'm going to have to let you go. Mrs. Dameron has decided with two young men in the house and the Christmas decorations out, it's the perfect time to clean the attic. Lord only knows what's up there.”

“Knowing the Damerons, I'd say you're bound to find all of Poe's childhood toys. Don't let him keep them all. There's bound to be some that need to go to a good home.” She grinned. “It's important to share.” 

“Who knows. I think that's part of the idea. Mrs. Dameron already asked Poe to clean out his closet while he's home as well.” He sighed. “I don't get how people acquire so much stuff, do you?”

She laughed. “Finn, if it wasn't so damn cold up here all the time, I'd be scavenging for items in dumpsters for art projects. Wonder if I can get Ben to bring home discarded items from his work.”

“I don't think it works that way, at least in retail.” He laughed. “Take care of yourself, Peanut.” 

“You too.” She smiled. “Bye.” she hung up and lowered the phone. “that was fun.” She leaned back against the headboard again, raising her arm up to pull the blind forward to see outside. There was still nothing but snow. “What did I expect?” She looked back at Arya. “So what do you want to do?”

The cat jumped off the bed, sat down on the floor, and started to clean herself. 

“Funny animal.” She swung her legs off the bed and went over to her closet, picking up her duffel bag from where she had left it next to the dresser and swung it up onto her bed so she could finish unpacking. 

*

Ben slid his suitcase into its normal place in the corner of his study. He moved a few of the photographs aside and hoisted himself up on top of the built-in, wrapping his arms around his legs, the cold practically unnoticed. The snow seemed to hide everything at this height, and he could make out the vague shape of some of the buildings, but no details. It was one of those days he hated, for all the good points. Too much had happened and there was no real way to process it all. For the first time since November, he'd talked to both of his parents – Rey had answered the phone on his birthday – and it was just – he was half tempted if Doctor Andres had to cancel for the weather, ask if he could just have a session over the phone.

No, that probably wouldn't work. There were privacy laws and he really didn't feel like having Rey listen to him pour out his guts in a visceral way. 

He had made the bed – completely – tossing the throw pillows on it for the first time weeks in an effort to keep himself from climbing back into it and staying there. He'd unpacked, cleaned himself and his room up, just done anything to keep his mind off of how he just didn't want to do much of anything. He made himself be active – because that was what he did when he wanted to just curl up and pretend that the world was gone. A coping mechanism from childhood, when getting into bed and staying there was never an option. 

He leaned against the glass, and the ground was lost in the swirl of snow and the near white-out conditions. The down he was expecting for weeks was upon him; and while he'd gone through all the reasons that were good; trying to string happy thoughts together seemed about impossible as going to clear the snow from Michigan Avenue with a bucket and spade. He let out the breath was holding and both despair and something akin to relief wash over him. He coughed and reached over towards the nearest framed photograph, not certain which one it was; and then felt the pain double.

Staring up at him, with grins on their faces, were himself, Nate and Jen on their graduation day. All he could see was those who weren't there; Jordan, Mari and Shelly. His smile in the photograph was awkward; one of those great forced happy expressions he'd mastered in school pictures when all he wanted to do was stare at the camera in hopes that someone would see. It'd taken years for anyone to see, and even now, it was just as hard to believe that no one had noticed earlier. He set the frame back and returned his gaze out the window. 

The storm had thinned somewhat; and he could make out the silhouette of the building up the street, the lights faint in the gray afternoon. The apartments across the way were massive, each one taking up a single story in its own right. He'd only been in one once, a friend of Aunt Sabe's used to live there. He set his fingers against the glass, barely registering the cold against them. His breath fogged the pane and somewhere behind him, he heard a door open, and he made a mental note to take DW-40 to all the hinges sometime soon. 

The door from his room into this one creaked and he heard Arya chirp, then a moment later, he heard Rey's footsteps, and then sensed, rather than saw her come into the doorway. “It's cold in here.” She came closer and draped something blue against his shoulders. “If you're going to sit there, you're going to need this.” She started tucking the blanket around him. 

He looked away from the window and down at the blue; she'd grabbed his Cubs/Red Sox blanket, and then realized he had no idea where he'd left said cover. “Thanks.” He pulled it tighter around him, and her hand started rubbing his back. “You don't need to stay in here with me.”

“Well, given the fact that your cat just came and got me, I think I do.” She sat down behind him, moving her hand in slow circles. “This is one of those days where too much has happened.” 

“Tell me about it.” He managed a weak chuckle, closing his eyes. “That's the last time we come home from a trip and not tell people we're home safe and sound.” 

“Agreed.” Her arms slid around his waist and she rested her head between his shoulder-blades. “I'm curious, exactly how many books are going to be arriving here next week? Or do you even know how many books you have?” 

He chuckled. “Uh, when I asked Nate, he said that he and Jen filled eleven sixty-four gallon containers from my room – nine of them are books. So I'm going to guess that it's somewhere over three hundred, maybe closer to four.”

She let out a low whistle. “I can't fathom having that much of any one thing. You're going to have to dust in here and make some room for them.” 

“Yeah.” He opened his eyes, a small spark of happiness forming in the pit of his stomach. “I'm actually not too certain what all will be in the other two totes. Probably just some random stuff that I left behind. I know there won't be any clothes. I did take all of those with me, but even if I did leave something, they most certainly wouldn't fit anymore.” He smirked. “And besides, my mom told them to put any clothes into a bag for donations.”

“I take it back, I think I could imagine having four hundred different art supplies.” She chuckled. “Paints, pastels, colored pencils...” She tightened her hold on him. “I actually might have close to that in just stylus-type – given that your cousin gave me that box of sixty-four crayons, you gave me six tubes of paint, and Gwen gave me a box of forty-eight colored pencils, add that to what I already have...” 

“What, do you don't want four hundred canvases?” He grinned, tucking his hands under his arms to warm them. 

“No.” She groaned. “We don't have room for even fifty of them in this place. And I'm willing to bet there's at least four thousand Legos in those crates in my studio.” 

“More than that.” He paused, trying to remember the last time he'd looked inside any of them. “Actually, I know there's a bunch of sets, because Aunt Sabe's kids dumped them all here when she moved to Scottsdale, because I believe they wanted to get them out of the house.” 

“That's kind of mean.” Rey pointed out. “But I guess leaving them here was better than throwing them away. Or were they hoping you'd donate the lot somewhere?”

He ducked his head. “I was going to, but then I discovered that putting the sets together was therapeutic, especially considering the instructions are long gone.” He smiled. “Actually, that sounds like a good thing to do right now.” It really did – he needed something to stay focused on, and he wasn't in any shape to write.

She tightened her hold. “Are there Harry Potter sets in there?”

“Yup.” He lifted his chin. “What do you say we get to work and watch a couple of old movies while were at it? It's been a while since I've watched _Blues Brothers_.” He turned slightly and she pulled away. “That's my pick, what's yours?”

Rey grinned in reply. “ _Adventures in Baby-sitting_ – and don't tell me you don't have a copy, because I've seen it in your small collection.” 

“Two dollar DVD Black Friday specials are awesome.” He let her get up first before he swung his legs around and stood. “I should check on our dinner anyway.” He folded the blanket and set it on his desk chair as they crossed out of the room and into the living room, and he made sure Ayra was out before he shut the door tightly behind them. 

*

Leia tried not to look at the other tables as she perused the menu, glad that Tavern at Windsor Park wasn't packed. She hadn't even planned on going out, but she'd looked in her freezer and pantry, and not in the mood to cook anything, her mind was made up. Normally, if she forewent cooking, she had something delivered to her home, but much like it had on Christmas Eve, the silence in the house was starting to get to her. She hadn't noticed it for six years and now it was worming under her skin and she couldn't leave this city fast enough. The last time she'd gone to Windsor Park was almost four years ago to watch the Boston Red Sox win the World Series. 

“Good evening, I'm Corey and I'll be taking care of you this evening.” A voice said from above her and she looked up into the face of a young man, a few years younger than Ben. “How are you doing tonight?”

“I'm all right.” She answered, smiling faintly. “You?”

“Pretty great.” He smiled. “Can I bring you something to drink?”

“Ginger ale.” She covered a cough, glancing back down at the menu. “And I believe I'll have the fish and chips. Small.” 

“Not a problem.” He scribbled down her order. “Dressing?”

“Blue cheese.” She held out her menu and he took it. “Please.”

“Sure. I'll get that in for you and I'll be right back with your ginger ale.” He walked away.

Leia turned her attention to her phone, resolutely doing her best to block out the family seated catty-corner from her. The truck was coming for Ben's things in the morning and she was headed in to the office for a few meetings on the merger in the afternoon. When she didn't receive anymore frantic phone calls, Leia realized two things: she had not told anyone that Ben was going to South Dakota and _she_ had not told anyone she had gone to South Dakota. Maybe her son had been onto something when he said that the two of them had inherited a 'leave me the hell alone' gene. 

She didn't want to think what today could have been like if she hadn't gone to South Dakota, or even if she had and they had waited for that morning flight. Today could have been absolute Hell. There was a thump next to her as Corey set down her glass of ginger ale, along with her salad. “Thank you.”

“Welcome. Your dinner should be out shortly.” He replied and went over to the table across from hers. 

She had just freed her cutlery from the rolled napkin when her phone went off, and she frowned at the number; unknown, but with a Chicago area code. Given what happened the last time she ignored a call from that area code, she picked up her phone and set the napkin in her lap. “Hello?”

“It's Gwen.” the woman at the other end of the line answered. “I didn't catch you at a bad time, did I?”

“No.” she adjusted her hold on the phone and picked up her fork. “If you don't mind my eating while I talk to you, and I thought I told you yesterday to call me Leia.” 

“It's been a bat-shit crazy day.” Gwen replied. “How's the weather there? Must be better than here.”

“Cold with a chance of flurries.” She stuck her fork in the cup of dressing before stabbing a hunk of lettuce. “And by flurries, we're expecting three inches.” She took a bite of the vegetable. 

The younger woman laughed. “It's still snowing here, but it's finally letting up, meaning I can see the building behind mine clearly now.” She sighed. “I talked to Ben and Rey earlier, they're okay. A little shaken up, but that's understandable.” A pause. “Are you eating salad?”

“If you're looking for serious roughage, you will not find any at my brother's house in the winter.” She chuckled. “Or in my house, apparently.” She ate another forkful, holding the phone away just enough so she wasn't chewing in Gwen's ear.

“It's not the right time of year for really decent salads.” She let out a breath. “Although yours does sound good.” 

She set her fork down. “Sorry about that.” 

“No, it's fine.” She could almost hear the woman shake her head. “I'm just going to say it. I am completely floored that you went to South Dakota for Christmas. That is one of the last things I would have ever expected. I'd have sooner expected Ben to go to Buffalo than you to go to the middle of nowhere.”

“I know.” She held the phone tighter. “And I suppose I deserve that. Although, they didn't know I was coming until I was changing planes in Chicago.” Leia picked up her glass and took a long pull of ginger ale through the straw. 

“Given what I know about Ben, I can completely see that happening.” There was a lightness to her tone. “I was going to send you the picture I took, and then I realized that I didn't have your email address, and even if I did, I wanted to make sure you knew to look for it, so it doesn't get eaten by your junk mail folder.” 

“I'll text it to you.” Out of the corner of her eye, she detected a flicker of movement, and on complete instinct, she put her free hand up and a moment later, a plush animal was clasped in her hand and across the room, she heard a child start screaming. She looked at the creature, then towards the table in question. “I seem to have acquired a rabbit.” 

“I don't even want to know.” Gwen answered, “I'll let you eat your dinner.” 

“Thank you. I'll text you shortly. Have a good evening and stay safe over there.” She heard Gwen hang up and then set her own phone down, looking towards the table where the child was, and much to her surprise, the parents weren't coming over to hers. Leia looked back at the rabbit then, with a slight shrug set it down in front of her on the table, picked up her fork, suddenly not giving a damn who was watching her. It was a well loved creature, judging from its white exterior dirtied to the point where it was more gray, and he had one eye missing. “Now, tell me, Mr. Rabbit, are you frequently thrown with such careless disregard to your health and the health of others?”

*

Corey Hartfield was glad he wasn't holding anything when the rabbit went flying through the dining room and the single woman at one of his tables caught it without even looking, or he'd have dropped it for sure. He ducked into the busser's station, where one of his coworkers, Sarah, was trying to control her laughter. “I really hope someone got that on their camera.” He coughed, trying to regain some measure of dignity. He looked over the wall towards the woman, and then suddenly realized he knew who she was. “Holy cow...” 

“What?” Sarah straightened up, looking towards the woman who was now talking to the stuffed rabbit with a serious look on her face. “She the wife of some player for the Mets?”

“No, that's the mom of a guy my sister Mari was friends with.” He snapped his fingers. “Oh, what's their last name...Organa or Turabian, I can't remember which one.” He grabbed a large tray. “Take a few deep breaths, see if that helps.” He headed towards the kitchen to gather his orders from the table where the rabbit had originated from. At least he wasn't spending his evening ducking around running children. With the tray fully loaded and a stand under his arm, he was glad the child in question had only one animal, given that she'd hurled it with enough force to get it across the span of the room, a distance of about eighteen feet. He set the stand down. “All right, here we are.” Corey glanced at the little girl who gave him a quiet and blubbery 'thank you' as he set her turkey pot pie in front of her. As he was setting the last plate down, he heard the father clear his throat. “May I bring you anything else?”

The man looked at him and then across the room. “Would you please bring our rabbit back?” 

Corey kept his face straight, scooping up the tray stand. “Certainly, sir. Enjoy your meals.” He went back towards the kitchen where the lady's food had just come up. “Insanity reigns, and it's not even game day.” He took the plate and the ticket, heading for the other table. “I don't get paid enough for this.” He mumbled to himself as he came over to the table. “Here we are, fish and chips.” He did his best not to look at the rabbit sitting on the table. “May I bring you anything else?”

The woman looked over the rims of her glasses at him, and smiled. “No, thank you, this looks wonderful.” 

He cleared his throat. “The other table would like their rabbit back.” 

She gave him a look that was so serious and stern, he nearly took a step back. “Mr. Rabbit is currently seeking legal council, Corey.” She gave him a wink. “Tell them he'll be ready to go back once the meal is finished.” 

He blinked and then slowly nodded, “enjoy your dinner.” He struggled to keep his face straight as he went back not to the other table, but back to the busser's stand, where Sarah was covering her mouth and was red in the face. “You go out and do this, you're so smart.” He seethed.

She smirked and picked up an empty tub. “I'm too young to serve liquor.” She grinned and headed out into the dining area.

*

Leia didn't laugh until she was back in her car, and then it was like the dam burst. She rested her head against the steering wheel, her shoulders shaking in her mirth. The whole scenario had been so unlike something she would do, but a part of her felt so _good_ in doing it. She'd left Corey a hefty tip for having to put up with the shenanigans, and for keeping himself calm and collected for the whole evening. At least, when she saw him. She'd returned the rabbit to the little girl, stating that his only requests were for a bath, ten hugs and a new pair of eyes. 

She coughed to clear her throat and she heard the text alert on her phone go off. “Need to turn that off anyway...” She picked it up and looked at it, and then her jaw dropped.

_Awesome catch, mom!_

The single sentence from Ben was accompanied by a short, twenty second video. Her eyes widened as she saw the interior of the Tavern, and saw the plush rabbit flying through the air and saw herself put up her arm and catch said animal, not even missing a beat as she lowered her hand, kept talking on the phone, and then set the rabbit on the table. “I keep forgetting how many people have cameras on their phones these days.” She glanced down at the number of hits on the video, not even reading the title. “Fifty thousand....” She looked at her watch. “That was only an hour ago!” She turned her phone off, dropped in the passenger seat, and started laughing again. 

*

Diana looked at the number she'd scribbled down quickly from the television, the same one she'd dialed a dozen times already today, but hadn't yet gotten through. Since the news this morning, all she had felt was a cold dread. She knew that her uncle didn't know that she knew he'd had someone following her other brother, or that she also knew that he went to South Dakota for Christmas. Uncle Kurt probably didn't know when Ben was coming back, but she was scared. Scared and worried and she needed to know what was going on. 

With the weather keeping both her aunt and uncle home, they had used most of the day to get paperwork done, and she'd been left mostly on her own. Now they were downstairs, watching a movie, or something. She leaned against the wall of her room and punched the number quickly, almost from memory, and waited. She nearly dropped the receiver when she heard it ring, instead of getting a busy signal. 

Two rings.

“Good evening, United Airlines, this is Oliver, how may I help you?” He sounded tired, and she didn't blame him.

“Good evening, I... I'm calling about a possible passenger on United Flight two four two.” she swallowed. “My... my brother.” 

There was a pause and then the man spoke again. “Honey, what's your name and how old are you?”

She swallowed. “My name is Diana and I'm eleven. I'm sorry, English is not my first language.” 

Oliver sighed. “I'm sorry, Diana. I can't release information to you. It's against regulation.” 

“I just want to know if my brother was on the plane or not!” She stood up, her fear starting to get the better of her. “Please!”

“I'm sorry, Diana. You will need to have your parents call the airline.” He genuinely sounded apologetic, but she didn't care. 

“My mom's in Holland and I don't know where my dad is!” She lapsed into Dutch, desperate. “Please!”

The line went dead and she dropped the phone and the paper, stumbling over to the bed and fell on it, sobbing.


	12. It's Either Sadness or Euphoria

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Leia and Rey learn the same secret, Diana learns something about her aunt (and some good news) and Ben has a day.

Leia felt rather sad as she watched the movers load the crates that were being sent to Ben onto their truck, but at the same time, it was a bit of a relief; the notion that in less than a month, the family could close the chapter on Buffalo, a chapter that had gone on far longer than it should have. She was going to work on sorting through the kitchen and living room today, so that tomorrow, the Disabled Vets could pick up the collection she had going for them. She'd put the garbage bags full of clothes, bedding, and other items from upstairs into the living room, and it still galled her just how much stuff there was in the house.

This was cleaning she should have done years ago, and given how much she loved to clear stuff out, it was shocking to her that she hadn't done it sooner. 

“Ms. Organa, was there any furniture besides the piano you were wanting to send on the truck?” One of the movers stood in the doorway to the kitchen, glancing around the room as if she were about to tell him to take the kitchen table. 

She set down her coffee cup. “No, thank you.” She followed him out of the room and into the dining room, now almost completely empty, save for the picture hanging on the wall, and the large rug in the center of the floor. “What's the estimated date of arrival in Chicago?” They went through the room towards the window, and outside, she could see the other mover was securing a few things inside the truck.

“With luck, we should have it there by Saturday. Thankfully, that storm that buried the middle of the country went north into Canada.” He looked at the invoice and then held it out to her. “We're returning week after next for the rest, yes?”

“What's going to be left, yes.” She paused, then glanced into the other room. “Wait.” She went across the hall into the living room and the man followed. “Is it to late to add this?” She gestured towards the rocking chair that had sat, immobile since Ben had left; she herself hadn't sat in it since Ben was a baby. All she has used it for was to stack blankets on and try to pretend it wasn't there.

“No, it's not.” The man walked out of the house and a moment later, returned with a large blanket to cover the chair. He picked up the piece with care and she went in front of him to hold the door open. She watched as he handed the chair up to his partner and then he vanished into the interior and then the first man returned, carrying a clipboard. “Can you confirm the address this is going to for me, please?” He held it out to her, and she scanned the information, and then took out her phone to double check Ben's phone number on it. She hadn't gone to the apartment back in June, and she regretted it now; the whole summer had been nothing short of ugly. 

“I'm told that Chicago's snow removal system rivals ours.” She managed a smile and handed the board back to him. “That looks to be in order.”

He took it. “Thank you, and we will let you know if there are any delays.” He nodded and walked down the path to join his partner, who was closing the rear of the truck. As he was locking it, Leia caught sight of Jennifer heading up the side of the drive and the girl nodded politely as she passed them and came up the walk towards her. This was odd; this was the third time she had come over in the past week.

“Good morning, Ms. Organa.” She gave the woman a rather sheepish smile. “I came over to ask if you need any more help with packing.” She came up to the landing. “My mother has already stated that my brothers can help with any heavy lifting, if needed.” 

Leia smiled as the truck started up and she saw it start to pull away. “I could use the help, thank you.” She held the door open and they went inside. “I'm going to get this floor done today, I think I'm going to need your help to get let go of some of my coffee mugs.” 

Jennifer laughed as she shut the front door, and, out of habit, locked it. “Are you donating nearly everything?”

“I almost feel like I should. Goodness knows, I don't need that much.” They went back into the kitchen. “Would you like some coffee, Jennifer?”

“Thank you, but no. I think I've drunk enough coffee in the past week to last me until the next time I leave the convent.” She paused. “Do you have any tea?” 

“Last I time I checked, yes.” She went over to the pantry and looked at the shelves. “Earl Grey or chamomile?” 

“Earl Grey, please.” Jennifer replied.

Leia came back into the kitchen with the box, and set it on the counter and took down a mug to fill with hot water. “I just know I'm glad there's not much of an attic in this house.” She frowned. “I'm not even certain there is one.” She looked over at the young woman. “There isn't, is there?”

She blinked, her face showing no surprise at her comment. “Not unless someone's built one in the last six years.” Her face suddenly went white. “Oh no...” She turned and ran from the room, and Leia heard her race up the stairs. 

“Jennifer?” She called and then started after her. “Jennifer, what is it?” she heard a thump come from Ben's room and the sound of something being dragged across the carpet. She reached the door of her son's room just in time to see the girl lift herself up onto the closet shelf and there was a scraping sound. “Is there something wrong?” She flicked the light on in the small space, and she could see the panic in Jennifer's face. “What's going on?” 

“It's not here.” She called down, and she turned slightly so she could look around the crawl space that Leia suddenly remembered being above Ben's room. “There's just....” The were a slight scratching sound and then she reappeared, seven half-gallon plastic bags in her hands. They tumbled from her grip, one of them landing near Leia's foot.

She bent down and picked the baggie up, turning it over, inside the container was a small stuffed animal, one of those Beanie Babies that were so wretchedly popular a decade or so ago. She could hear Jennifer closing the door to the crawl space, but an odd feeling was starting in the pit of her stomach. The animal within was a white unicorn, protected from the dust and filth of the attic. The dirt clung to her fingers and sweater as she turned the bag over to reveal a label, the marker faded somewhat with age.

_Mystic – Shelly Darrow, July 18, 2005_

Jennifer was setting the other six bags on Ben's desk, her face still ashen. “Ben must have taken the box with him when he went to Chicago.” There was a soft slapping sound as she turned all the bags label up and Leia came over to add the one she was holding. They all held a different animal, and she set a hand on the girl's back, and she let out a breath. “Sorry, I just...” Jennifer swallowed hard, nudging the one that held a purple bear with her name on it, along with the same date as the first. “It was silly, really.” she nudged the one with Ben's name – a brown rabbit. “We did this right before Jasmine moved. The box has the letters in it.” She shook her head, and managed a smile. “When Nate and I were in here last week, we both forgot about them, then again, that was nearly twelve years ago.”

Leia coughed, and then looked at the seven creatures, despite the dust, all looked perfectly preserved as the day they were put inside. “Time capsule sort of thing, I take it?”

“Yeah.” She straightened, and started twisting the simple black band on her ring finger. “We all agreed that Ben should be the one to keep it. Because he was the least likely to lose it and the least likely to look inside.” She frowned down at the desk. “I guess I'll take the animals now.” she sighed, and picked up the rabbit. “These were actually all Jasmine's – and she couldn't quite bring herself to get rid of them before she moved. So she picked one out for each of us, the one that reminded her of that person.” Her smile strengthened. “Ears.” 

She chuckled. “Which is why he wears his hair the way he does.” She let out a soft sigh, then looked around the empty room; Nate and Jen had even stripped the bed and the comforter lay folded over the foot-board. “Although he seems taller now than when he left.” 

The girl went slightly pink. “I think what it is, Ms. Organa, is that he grew upwards before he left, and then filled in.” She gathered the bags of animals. “Our tea and coffee are getting cold.” 

“Quite right.” She managed and the two of them went back downstairs.

*

In the end, they hadn't been able to put the sets back together, not completely. Rather than sort it all out, Rey and Ben ended up turning the thousands of Legos into one long house – the perfect size for Arya, who, in typical fashion, had promptly started playing with the now empty crate instead. They hadn't finished until late, and when they had crawled into bed, it had been after one. Yawning, she turned over and raised herself up on her arms, looking back over her shoulder to see the alarm clock, it was past nine. She stretched and slid out from under the covers, tucking the blankets back around a still snoring Ben. 

She padded softly in sock feet towards the kitchen, and she wasn't halfway there when Arya appeared, chirping excitedly, loud enough that she thought the cat might wake her owner. “What, you want some breakfast?” She went into the kitchen and took up the dish from its place, while hitting the heat button on the coffee pot. “It's coming, it's coming...” She chuckled as she went into the pantry and put a scoop of kibble into the dish and was nearly knocked over when she put it back down. “You're welcome.” She went over to the sink to wash her hands. “Guess your breakfast is late.” She rubbed at her temple. “Makes me wonder why you didn't come wake us up sooner.” Rey recalled that Ben had feed Arya around midnight, shortly before they went to bed. “I'll never get your feeding schedule right.” She selected a pod from the basket and grabbed her mug from the drying rack. 

She frowned slightly, watching the cat eat and then, as her mug filled, she stepped closer to the front of the room, so she could see across the way to where Ben was still slumbering. “I can cook as long as I have instructions.” She grinned and turned to the fridge, grabbing the carton of eggs and the milk from inside, setting them on the counter and then went the pantry. “I'm going to need you to keep Ben in bed, Missy.” She grinned as she took out the box of waffle mix. “And this shouldn't be too hard.” She put it with the other items, checking the back of the box before grabbing the vegetable oil, and putting the milk back. “Now, I just need to remember where everything is” She returned to the coffee pot, pulling her mug away and taking a long sip, groaning. 

It was strange how a little thing like the kind of coffee you were used to made a difference in the morning. Not that she hadn't appreciated the octane level brew at the Skywalker house, but there was just something about the coffee she was used to; she had a routine in Chicago, and in truth, the coffee in this apartment was an indulgence. She lowered the mug, leaning against the counter in front of the sink, listening to Ayra chew nosily on her kibble and the wind whistled against the window at the far end of the kitchen. “Best get started.” She went over to her small gathering of materials and read the back of the waffle mix box again, then crouched down and opened the cabinet below to find the mixing bowl, the measuring cups and spoons inside of it. “Great.” She set it up on the counter and frowned as she caught sight of something red near the back of the cupboard. “This isn't where the plastic containers go.” She reached back and took hold of the box and pulled it forward, hearing something rattle inside of it.

Rey stood, holding the container and frowning. In faded block letters, were the words, 'Time Capsule.' and, under that, 'Do not open before July 18, 2015.' She took a sip of coffee as she set it on the counter, still at a loss for why this was here. Before she could stop to think, she pried open the lid, and found herself staring down at seven face-down envelopes, all of them sealed with glittery stickers. She turned the top one over, and nearly screamed – in bright blue script was the name _Marianne Hartfield_. Down at her ankles, Arya let out loud chirp and it snapped her back into reality. Swallowing, she dropped the envelope back into the box and shoved the lid back into place, flinching at the loud noise that echoed in the apartment like thunder. She crouched down and put the box back in its place just as she heard a groan from the direction of Ben's room. 

She turned to the cat. “You keep Ben in bed, all right? I'll bring him some coffee.”

In reply, the cat went to the doorway and started to clean herself.

“Oh come on.” She gave the animal a desperate look. “Please? Pretty please? I'll get you some tuna or some treats next time I go to the store, I promise!” She bit her bottom lip for a second, then remembered how the cat had come and gotten her the other day and how something Poe used to say to their neighbor's dog. “Go give Ben kisses.” 

Arya chirped and then bounded out of sight, her bell jangling and a moment later, there was another groan from Ben's room.

“Oh, good morning to you too.” His voice reached Rey and she let out a breath. 

“I can't believe that worked.” She went over and grabbed Ben's mug from the rack and then put in one of the pods she knew he liked into the machine. As the coffee started to brew, she let out a relieved breath. She wasn't certain how long she could keep him in bed. She grabbed her own mug, taking a hefty gulp of coffee, still slightly on edge from finding the box in the cupboard. 

“What are you up to?” Ben said again, and then he started laughing. “You're not hungry, I can tell.” 

The Keurig pinged and she went over to retrieve the mug, then calmly walked across the apartment into Ben's room. “Morning, sleepyhead.” She set the mug down on the bedside table, and leaned down to kiss Ben's forehead. 

“Morning.” He propped himself up against the headboard, grabbing the mug from where she put it and Arya promptly laid down over his legs, keeping him in place. He eyed his cat for a moment before looking at her. “Do you know anything about this?”

“She's doing her job.” She folded her arms and lifted her chin.“I'm making breakfast this morning and you're staying in bed...” Her voice faded as the cat got back up and curled up on her vacated place, with a look of utter defiance. “Traitor.” 

Ben gave her an amused smile. “I'll stay out of the kitchen, okay?” 

Rey let her face relax. “You better.” She turned and headed out of the room just as Ben's phone went off; it was the ring-tone he used for his mom. This was starting to get a little weird in her mind; after almost two months here, and him _not_ talking to Leia Organa was normal, and this marked the fourth day in a row he had spoken with his mom. Yesterday was a bit of an exception, given the utter shitstorm they had woken to. She took another sip of coffee before she checked the directions on the box again.

“The truck should be here Saturday? What time?” Ben coughed. “I just woke up.” He sounded like he would like to go back to sleep. “No, I won't be at work. I thought they weren't coming until Monday?”

She shrugged as she plugged the waffle iron in and then mixed the batter together, trying to put the box out of her mind. It seemed strange that Ben would put it in a place where he'd see it constantly; maybe he'd already been through it and had resealed whatever was inside himself. Then again, he did have those glass measuring cups that seemed to reside on the counter behind her. “I've been here almost two months and I still know next to nothing.” 

“Yes, tell Jen I still have the box, and no, I haven't opened it.” Ben's voice was in the next room. “I didn't take the Beanie Babies because of space issues in my luggage.” There was a clatter of something; he'd set something down on the table. 

Beanie Babies?

The green light on the iron went on and she lifted the lid, pouring the batter onto it, trying to keep her face calm as she shut it and took up her coffee mug.

“Thanks. No, my Schwinn isn't in the garage.” There was a slight edge to his voice. “Uh, I sold it before I left, mom.” 

Rey went over to the cabinet at the front of the kitchen to get the plates, and gave Ben a smile as they made eye contact.

“Yeah.” He took a drink of coffee and she went back into the kitchen. “Yeah.” 

She set the plates down and grabbed the counter, hating that flat tone in Ben's voice that spoke volumes. How could Leia not recognize it? No, Leia _didn't_ recognize her son's default tone with her because that was the tone she was used to hearing, but after hearing a different sort just yesterday... She let her hands unclench as the realization came to her and she took up her coffee mug instead, leaning back against the sink while the steam rose from the iron. She never seen a picture of the house in Buffalo, but she could see it perfectly in her mind; it'd be one of those homes that graced the covers of home and garden magazines, all perfectly maintained and orderly, and inside it'd be the same way. The kind of home that seemed too perfect; the one that no one really lived in.

She let out a sigh as she lowered the coffee mug and there was a clatter as Ben dropped his phone on the table in the other room. “Drink some more coffee, Bear, it'll help.” 

“What did you call me?” The change of tone was almost jarring.

“Bear.” A giggle escaped her lips and she went over to remove the first waffle from the iron. “Or would you prefer Imperial, since I know you'd take Yankee for an insult.” 

He let out a laugh. “Bear I get, but Imperial?”

“You're from New York. New York is the Empire State, therefore – Imperial.” She put the waffle on a plate and then refilled the iron. “I've been reading.”

“Okay, Sunshine, if that's where this is going.” Ben leaned into the kitchen, grinning at her. “Don't burn yourself.” 

*

“Diana?” Her aunt's voice was gentle, and she could feel the woman's hand on her back, stroking her hair, “Sweetie? Are you sick?”

“No.” She answered, her voice muffled in her pillow and despite the lack of sleep, she raised her head. “I'm...” She shook her head, laying back down, her stomach felt sour. “Is Uncle Kurt here?” Diana knew that her uncle didn't know that she knew he had found someone to spy on her brother, but there was also a chance that Aunt Amelia didn't know about what her uncle did. She looked up at the woman through her hair.

Her aunt shook her head. “The roads are clear, so he's gone to the university for a few hours. Getting a head start on next semester. Did you need to talk to him?” She brushed Diana's hair from her face. “I'm sorry my Dutch isn't....”

She shook her head and sat up, deciding that in this moment, she needed an ally, and her aunt was pretty much her only option. “Why is Uncle Kurt spying on Ben?”

“What?” the woman looked shocked. “What are you talking about?”

“A few days before Christmas, when you were working a man came to see him. He's been watching Ben for a while, because he mentioned something about this past summer, and that he was going to look into his roommate's past, or something. I didn't understand a lot of it.” She bit at her bottom lip, hoping her aunt could make sense of her garbled English. “I didn't mean to listen in, but I was here and...” She stopped as her aunt reached over and handed her the box of tissues on the beside table. She took one from the box and blew her nose, swallowing hard. “The man said Ben went to Sioux Falls, because he saw him at the airport, and...”

“Oh, Diana...” Aunt Amelia hugged her tight, then glanced down at the floor, where one of the cordless phones and a crumpled piece of paper were sitting. “Did you try to contact the airline?”

“The man said he couldn't tell me because I'm not eighteen.” She gulped. “I just...”

Her aunt stood and retrieved both items. Diana half-expected to be reprimanded for not telling the woman sooner. “You're not in trouble Diana, so don't worry.” She sat back down on the bed, her face set in stone. “Your uncle, however, that's another story.” She dialed the number, and gave her a smile. “What's your brother's name, honey?”

“Ben. He's probably be listed as Ben Organa-Solo.” She rubbed her nose with the tissue, and she heard someone on the other end of the line pick up.

“Yes, good morning, my name is Amelia Anslan, I'm calling about a possible passenger on flight two-four two.” She squeezed Diana's hand with her free one. “Last name is Organa-Solo, or Solo, first name is Ben or Benjamin.” 

Diana rested her head against her aunt's shoulder, her heart thumping in that awful way it had almost all day yesterday. How long did it take to check for a name? She squeezed her eyes shut as she felt the tears start again.

“Not on the manifest? Under either name combinations?” Her aunt squeezed her hand. What did manifest mean? “Thank you. You have a good day as well.” she hung up. “Ben wasn't on the plane that crashed, Diana.” 

“He's safe then?” Her heart swooped; Ben was alive? 

Aunt Amelia nodded and kissed her forehead. “Now, I don't know if he's here in Chicago or still in South Dakota, but he wasn't on the flight.”

She couldn't help it; she laughed. She was so utterly relieved; so – overjoyed.... “Thank you!” She hugged her aunt tightly. “Thank you, thank you!”

“You're welcome, sweetie.” she returned the hug. “I haven't asked you, do you like to bake, Diana?”

Diana pulled away, frowning slight. “Mama told me you hate to bake.” 

“That wasn't the question, honey.” Her aunt had a smile on her face that would make Professor Umbridge jealous. “Do you like to bake?”

“Kinda... I don't get it, Aunt Amelia, you don't bake. Ever.” She blew her nose again.

“I do bake, Diana. I only bake when I'm angry. And right now, I'm downright furious with your uncle.” She flinched, then her expression broke. “That is...”

“You're going to bake a bunch of stuff that Uncle Kurt really likes and he's going to home and be absolutely terrified.” A chuckled escaped her. “Aunt Amelia, that's so mean!”

“Now, Diana, you know that your uncle is not too fond of your father, yes?” She smoothed her hair down and they stood up, walking out of her room. “And I have a feeling that your brother is nothing like him. But you can't exactly explain that to your uncle.” 

“I thought grown-ups were supposed to act like grown-ups. He could have just sent him an email, or something...” None of this made any sense to her. “I know, I know, it's complicated.” 

“Exactly.” They headed downstairs, and into the kitchen. “Why don't you have some breakfast first? I know you haven't eaten yet.” 

Diana managed a smile as she went over to the pantry and retrieved the box of frosted corn flakes, suddenly remembering something her mom had told her. “What's the thing on New Year's Eve? Something at the Art Institute?”

*

Ben rested his head against the plexiglass as the train made its way through the city. His visit with Doctor Andres hadn't been very insightful; and while he always seemed to spend most of their sessions venting and getting something to work on, he felt stuck where he was. He'd even said so to the man; and it wasn't like manic depression was _curable_ , or something. But he thought he'd get somewhere, find some sort of happy medium to stand on before he swung back up or down. Maybe what he needed was a distraction; something to keep him from thinking about the depression, the fact that his sister's uncle was spying on him... at that thought he straightened and looked around the car for a moment, and found no one familiar, and then returned to leaning against the glass, his breath fogging the window.

His current job would only get him so far; and it wasn't that he hated working at Michael's, loved his employee discount, but at the same time... 

There had been too many changes in the past two months. Between Rey, his mom, his dad, and everything else – it was overwhelming and his routine, the constant that he craved and needed, was gone. He had just gotten back into his normal when Rey moved in, and that had just turned everything upside down. He didn't regret his relationship with her at all; although he might regret at how fast it progressed. 

The train slowed and the shuffle of passengers went on around him; not many people were out in the cold and the time between Christmas and New Years kept things relatively light. Chicago wasn't exactly a place people chose to go to in winter. It had all seemed so much easier when it was just him and Arya in the equation, and while he knew that he was getting nowhere when it was like that, he wanted a calm like that back. He slid a hand through his hair, moving so his chin rested on his hand, rather than against the glass. The L started again, and scanned the buildings as he rode past them. It was strange, how many times had he been around the city and just counted his stops rather than pay attention to what was around them? 

Probably because he almost always chose the lake side of the train, and Lake Michigan was a constant in this city, changing shades of blue and gray with the seasons, but other than that, it stayed the way it was. 

The train slowed again and he rose to his feet, making his way up to the doors. After it stopped and he was once again outside, he hunched himself against the cold and sighed to himself as the salt on the stairs crunched under his boots. The idea of spending tomorrow in sweats sounded good; and he needed to clean the shelves in the living room so he'd have a place to put all his books come this weekend. The ones in his study were almost completely full, having added to his collection from scavenging used book and thrift stores. 

As he crossed the street and started up towards his building, he stopped short; there was a man standing in the walk, pacing, one he recognized, despite not having seen him in nearly six years. “Welcome to my nightmare.” He muttered and straightened up, maybe this wouldn't be as bad as he thought. “You lost?” He stopped at the end of the walk, effectively keeping his father trapped between the building and him, unless he wanted to walk through the snow.

“No, I'm looking...” Han Solo's voice fell quiet, and he swallowed hard. “You grow again?” 

Ben blinked at him, his stomach roiling over slightly. “You've got gray hair.” The line about growing was the same one Han had always used; like he was expecting him to stay a little boy forever and remain the same between visits. He stuffed his hands into his pockets, it'd keep him from hitting the man. “I'm sorry about Sonja.” He actually wouldn't mind if his father had flown back to Holland to be with the woman in her illness. That would be the noble thing to do; he could understand that. It made more sense than him being here in Chicago. “What are you doing here, dad?” 

Han let out a breath, running a hand through his hair. “What, your old man can't come and see you?”

“If you're wanting us to be friends, I think you're a little late for that.” He narrowed his eyes slightly, then looked over his shoulder, half expecting to see the man in the blue coat standing around the parking garage, then turned back at his father. “It's been six years since I've seen you, dad. Nearly twice that since I stopped waiting for you.” 

“Ben, I know I've...” He shook his head. “I'm here now, okay?”

“And I'm not nine years old anymore.” He took a step closer to the man, not sure of how exactly any of this was supposed to work. “There's no fixing this, Dad.”

“You seem to be fixing things with your mom just fine, kiddo.” Han visibly winced.

“The problems between me and mom are very different than the problems the two of us have.” He swallowed hard. “I'm sorry, but that's just...” In his mind, the best thing to do right now was to step past the man and leave him outside. While there was a part of him that wanted this patched up, he hadn't been kidding, there wasn't any fixing this. If he added up all the time he actually spent with his father, it might be around two years – leaving twenty-two years of neglect. “Wait, why am I apologizing? There's nothing I need to apologize for.” He walked forward and pushed past the man. “Go home, Dad. Wherever that is for you now.” He all but ran up to the door and punched in the security code, getting into the building and shutting it behind him just as his father made the landing.

“Ben!” His father screamed through the glass, pounding on the door. “Ben!” 

Steeling himself, Ben walked forward and pressed the button for the elevator, trying not to hear the man knocking on the door and calling his name. He would not turn around, he would not acknowledge it; and while a part of him wanted to run back, to somehow try and _forget_ and _forgive_ , at the same, there was his rage at the need for it to even be there. His phone started going off in his pocket; his father's ring-tone. The elevator doors opened and he went inside, hitting the button for the seventeenth floor. The knocking died off as he leaned against the back of the car, watching the doors close. His phone stopped ringing, and he knew full well that his father wouldn't do something as stupid as try and break into the building. That could put him in more trouble than he was willing to face. 

How he managed to unlock the door of his home and get inside and re-lock it, he had no idea. He dropped his keys and phone on the small table, hung up his coat and scarf, and removed his boots on autopilot. He could vaguely hear Rey's Spotify playing in her studio, and he saw that the door to it was shut. He staggered into his room and fell across his unmade bed, curling up into a fetal position. A fraction of a moment later, Ayra burrowed her way in next to him, and he closed his eyes, despising himself for his tears. 

“Ben?” Rey's voice was soft as he heard and felt her curl up behind him, one arm over his middle, the other settling in his hair. He half-expected questions next; but then realized that Rey never asked the questions he hated. The ones inquiring if he was okay, what was wrong, anything that he'd long ago filed along with false compassion, people who merely pretended or were paid to care. “You comfortable, Bear?” 

He let out a weak chuckle as she pressed her lips against the back of his neck, causing a slight shiver run up his spine. “Am now, Sunshine. You?”

Rey sat up long enough to grab the covers from the foot of the bed and pull them up to their shoulders. “Better?” She kissed that spot on his neck again.

“Better.” He took her hand in his, kissing the back of it. “Love you, Sunshine.” the truth of the words settled over him as soon as he finished speaking. 

She let out a soft sigh behind him, and for a moment, he was worried that he'd overstepped, that he should have kept silent – fuck, he hated his stupid mind – he came back to reality as she rubbed her cheek between his shoulder blades, her grip around him tightening. “I love you too, Bear.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Come say hi on Tumblr! @soldierofhalla17


	13. The Start of Something New

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Jennifer's afternoon is strange, Diana's is unnerving, Leia's is unsettling, and Ben and Rey, well....

Rey leaned back against Ben, letting out a long sigh as they settled into the tub. They'd only laid in bed for around twenty minutes before she suggested coming in here, taking the bath they had originally planned to take yesterday. They had decided to forgo bubbles in favor of the lavender scented Epsom salts, and the air was heavy with the scent and steam lingered in a small aura around the tub. She heard him give off a slight groan as he stretched out his legs, and, unlike the first time, the skin-on-skin contact wasn't unsettling. He reached under the water and adjusted her hips so she was nestled between his thighs and she tilted her head against his shoulder, closing her eyes at the soft feel of his breath against her neck. “Comfortable?”

Ben chucked and kissed her forehead. “Yes. You?” He brushed his hand against her cheek as he let out a low sigh, his arms wrapping around her and his foot brushed against her calf. “And this isn't as strange as the first time.” He kissed her temple.

“We sort of planned it this time.” She put her arms over his, holding onto his elbows with her hands. While Ben had been gone, she'd decided to organize her art supplies, using the now empty Lego crate to help her. She'd also taken advantage of the napping cat, as Arya seemed to take great delight in knocking anything down from the table that she could, then look at her like she was the guilty party. She wasn't certain what had set Ben off between him leaving and returning home; and really, she'd rather keep him far away from that subject. “What's your favorite holiday?” 

He snorted. “That's a funny question to be asking.” He lifted his arm to brush his hand against her face, then slowly down through her hair, and despite the warm water, she shivered as he kissed the back of her neck. “I'd have to say the Fourth of July.” He straightened the two of them slightly. “Even though I spent last year in the hospital, it wasn't all bad. Maybe because there's not any sort of massive pressure to do something with your family, because there are people who have to work the day. Back in high school, my friends and I used to go swimming and then we'd go watch the fireworks over Niagara.”

She let out gasping laugh, rather surprised. “Niagara, as in Niagara Falls?” 

“Is there any other?” He chuckled. “Niagara Falls is only about a thirty minute drive from where I grew up. It's the one field trip that every school in Buffalo keeps going on.” He laughed. “Didn't you have something like that in Houston?”

Rey thought for a moment, biting back the remark that she went to half a dozen middle schools and her elementary schools blended together sometime after she turned fourteen. “That would be the zoo. Works until classmates start comparing certain classmates to the animals and ruin it for the rest of us.” 

“What, you skipped the teachers?” He laughed and she found herself joining in. “Did that once with the song 'the Wheels on the Bus' and pointed out certain teacher's habits as what they were doing.”

She chuckled. “That doesn't sound like something you would do.” She shifted in his hold so she could rest her head against his shoulder sideways, and brushed her fingers along the opposite arm. “You're too nice.”

“Well, we considered it a warm up, because that happened on a choir trip. We returned to Buffalo singing Bohemian Rhapsody.” He pressed his lips to the crown of her head. “There were only two complaints that the teacher constantly had. Telling the first sopranos to come down out of the rafters and for the bases to get out of the basement.” 

“Your high school sounds better than mine. Then again, my class was huge...” She thought back to the yearbook, and realized she hadn't counted how many people had been in Ben's class. “And it was a mixture of...” She frowned. “Uh, I'm not sure how to phrase this politely, considering yours was private and mine was public.”

“There were one hundred and twelve people in my graduating class.” He hugged her tighter, his fingers stroking her spine. “Even though it was a Catholic high school, not everyone who went was Catholic. It just happened to be the one co-ed private school in our part of town.” He sighed. “But I know what you're getting at. That's why I never quite understand why people have an issue with schools that wear uniforms. They're the perfect disguise for social class if everyone's wearing the same thing.”

She frowned, thinking of the array of clothing she had seen at her own school. Some people cared for nothing but labels and she could never understand the appeal either. There were kids in her class who spent the equivalent on her whole clothing budget for a year on a single shirt. “Did you all have to get your clothes at the same place?”

“No.” Ben cleared his throat. “Well, the girls all had to get the same skirt, because of the plaid pattern, and we had to get the same sweaters, but as for shirts and slacks, those were just given guidelines. So unless you knew your labels just by looking, you couldn't tell who was wearing what.” He let out a soft chuckle. “The sweaters also covered any emblems on a shirt. And while we were told we could wear any color slacks that were in the plaid, I never saw a single person wearing white ones.” 

“That has to be the most impractical color for pants, ever.” Rey didn't even like wearing white shirts for the same reason; given how much she liked to work with her hands and being a notorious spiller of food and drink, wearing almost anything white and keeping it white was impossible. She slid her hand down his arm, tracing a few of the scars along it with her fingers, “my favorite holiday was always Halloween.” She smiled at the thought of a few of the past ones. “Free candy, and then there was usually other stuff thrown in the mix. I didn't even balk at getting pencils or erasers.” She closed her eyes, feeling her cheeks flush. “I realize that sounds pathetic.”

“Not really.” His hold on her tightened for a moment before he returned to stroking her back. “If you think about it, a pencil is a great thing – since it's both useful and you don't have to worry about allergies.”

Rey snorted into his shoulder. “You can be such a goofball.” 

“I'm being perfectly serious.” He swallowed, and she could feel the change in the tension of his shoulders before he spoke again. “My dad's in Chicago. He was outside when I came back.” 

“Little late, isn't he?” the words fell out of her before she could really think about it, and almost instantly regretted them. “I mean...”

“No, no you're right.” He swallowed and his grip on her changed again. “I told him as much. I just...” He let out a breath. “I told him that the problems me and my mom have and the problems he and I have are different. I really....I really didn't give him a chance to say much. I didn't want to hear it.” 

“I don't blame you.” she pressed a kiss against his shoulder. From what she could tell, the fact that Ben made it upstairs was an accomplishment. “Do you think he'll be back?”

“He might.” Ben's hand moved from the small of her back onto her stomach. “Although the truly noble thing to do would be to go back to Holland and stay with Sonja. Let the rest of us get on with our lives, since my mom and I are used to him not being in it.” He took a deep breath. “And I doubt he knows where Diana is, and she doesn't need my family issues to cope with as well as hers.” He shifted their legs so she was now sitting on his thighs. “It's a wretched mess.” 

Rey took his other hand in both of her, kissing each fingertip. “I'm sorry, but I don't think rational thought it exactly something your father could be known for.” 

“Don't be sorry for telling the truth.” He kissed her temple, and rubbed his nose against her ear. “You mind if we change the subject?” His hand slid up her front, and she could feel his fingers brushing against her nipple. 

She pulled out his arms and turned over, setting her hands behind him, holding onto the corner of the tub, her knees between his thighs and the sides of the bath. “Can we stay in here while we do?” She leaned forward and kissed him softly. “Please?”

He chuckled and slid his hand down her back, stopping at her rear and gently pushing down so her lower half was once again underwater. “I wasn't planning on getting out of the tub any time soon. Comfortable?” He brushed her hair from her face with his other hand as she slid her arms back to her sides, nestling herself under his chin.

“Quite.” For a few moments, the two of them just rested there, the only noise the two of them breathing and the water, and there was a low rumble out of the bath where a radiator had kicked on. It reminded Rey of the times at night when the two of them would just lie in bed, holding each other, listening to the world around them, while they remained isolated and together; in the world and yet out of it at the same time. It also brought back something that they hadn't ever discussed. “Ben?”

“Yes?” He stroked her hair, the tips of his fingers just grazing her ear.

“Why do you stay out of my room? Well, not really staying out of it, but...” she quieted as his hand stilled on her back.

“Because it's _your_ room. It's a privacy thing.” He went back to rubbing her back. “I know, it sounds weird, or....”

“We share your room, Ben, why can't we share mine too?” The whole idea was strange to her, and while she understood what he meant about the privacy thing, shouldn't that go both ways. “And don't say it's because my bed's too small, they're both queen size.”

He let out a soft chuckle. “I know, it's a weak argument, ” his hand stilled on her rear, and he shifted her slightly. “But we sort of fell into intimacy, Sunshine. We woke up on a Friday morning as roommates and went to bed as lovers.” He swallowed as she felt his cock start to stiffen against her stomach. “It's been a whirlwind since then.” He lifted her chin with his hand, meeting her gaze with his.“There's also the fact that we're both planners, and we did something impulsive together.” He kissed her softly. “and since we're the same in that regard, neither of us can quite figure out what we're supposed to do now.” 

She worried at her bottom lip, knowing what he meant. “We're like the already-together couple in any given romantic comedy. No back-story and given some of the actual plots of rom-coms, you want to know their story more than the main character's. I want to know the story of why the barista's cello playing brother is with the tattoo artist, not if she's going be living happily ever after with the storm chaser.”

Ben's whole face screwed up as he laughed. “Me too. I've not heard this story, can you tell it to me?”

She pressed her forehead against his as she giggled. “That's just it, I don't know. I know what happened to the main couple, but there is no prequel on the other pair of lovebirds. Just that they're in a healthy, committed relationship and no one questions it.” She slid her hands up so they were on his shoulders. “Although I'd just settle for how they met to start.” She pressed her lips against the corner of his mouth.

“Mr. Straight-laced cello player has a tattoo in a place that can only be seen when he's shirtless and it's something that completely clashes with his outward appearance, like a skull with roses in the eye-sockets.” His hand slid up her back and into her hair, pulling it out of the bun she had put it in. “Or you know, a golden snitch, and she's the one who inked him.” He dropped her ponytail elastic on the floor next to the tub, and started to smooth out the tangles. “Or maybe they ran into each other in the library in the cookbook section, took the same cooking class, something of that nature.” He nuzzled her neck, slipping his other hand under the water and bringing it up to cup her breast, thumbing her nipple.

“Second one is better. No one is hiding anything.” She pressed her lips to the spot right below his earlobe, and she heard him inhale sharply. “Oh, you like that?” She shifted so she could take the lobe between her lips, flicking at it with the tip of her tongue. 

“I know something you love.” Ben's voice was husky as she felt his hand slide between her legs. 

**

Jennifer made sure the garage door was tightly closed after Ms. Organa left for work. Staying behind in the house alone was a little awkward, but she had offered her help; and the woman hadn't balked. Before she had gone, the woman had showed her a pile of boxes and a stack of newspapers, and asked her to wrap up all the glasses from the bar. Everything that wasn't crystal was going into donations, and she stated she didn't even know what all was in there. She moved into the living room, going over to the double doors that she'd only seen open half a dozen times in all the times she'd been in this house. “Calm down, there's nothing to be freaked out about.” She pulled the doors open, bracing herself for something to fall out. 

Instead, all she found was the same quiet closet that was nearly identical to the ones in her parents' house. However, whereas the one in their house had turned from a place to store liquor into a place to store junk food, this one seemed to be nothing but glasses and dust. From the looks of it, it hadn't been used any time recently. She reached up and took a familiar looking hurricane glass from the bottom shelf and turned it over. Embossed on the surface were the words – _Fairy-tales and Fireworks 2011_. She snickered, not surprised that Ben had left his souvenir glass from their senior prom behind. She'd given her own to a garage sale years ago. “Who thought up the themes for these things anyway?” Putting it down, she reached in and flipped the light on, and was relieved to see all the crystal was on one shelf. “Get that down first.” 

She went into the kitchen, crossing over to the laundry room to get the step-stool, her plan to put all the glasses on the kitchen counter, so she could wipe them off before packing them up, and washing the crystal so it would be clean when Ms. Organa arrived in St. Louis. As she crossed back to the living room, she glanced back at the pile of Beanie Babies she had left on the kitchen table. “Need to find a bag for those.” She mumbled as set up the stool and started with the crystal shelf, taking up two water-glasses up by their stems and carried them into the kitchen. After placing them on the counter by the sink, she stopped short.

The pile on the table had changed. 

Jennifer knew she wasn't imagining it; she had left all seven animals together, and now they were scattered across the surface. She frowned then turned and went into the laundry room and grabbed a plastic bag from the pile on the washer and came back into the kitchen, and without another thought, dropped all of the baggies inside. “There.” She hung the bag on the back of a chair and went back to the bar, and quickly emptied the crystal shelf – there were a dozen water goblets and wine glasses – twenty four in total, along with two shot glasses, and four whiskey tumblers.

It was rather odd, to be in the Organa house without an Organa in it. It'd been different last week, Nate had been with her. But now, alone, it seemed, well – wrong. She went back to emptying the bar, and just as she was setting down a pair of champagne goblets, there was a loud thump directly above her. “Merciful..” She looked at the ceiling, frowning and then jumped as there was a second thump. “A box fell, something.” She clasped at the crucifix around her neck and then, before she could think better of it, went to the stairs and slowly climbed them. “Just need to see what tipped over. Maybe Ms. Organa had things on a chair.” She frowned as she came to the landing, picturing the first floor underneath her. “This house isn't haunted. Ben would have told us.” 

She stopped in the middle of the hallway as she burst out laughing. The idea of this house being haunted was so unbelievable – not to mention, _impossible_ – was even too much for her. “Ben doesn't write ghost stories anyway.” She coughed and continued to chuckle as she came down to the master bedroom, the one right over the kitchen and pushed the door open. 

There was nothing out of place. 

“It was probably something falling on the roof, or maybe it was outside.” She laughed again and headed back down the hall, glancing into Ben's old room, even though she knew it was mostly empty and as she came down the stairs and into the kitchen, she screamed. 

The animals were out of the bag again – and this time, not just from the one she had put them in, but the baggies themselves, four of them in one pile, three in the other. “All right, this isn't funny.” She ducked over to the counter and armed herself with the first thing she could seize. The chef's knife from the butcher block. “Who's there?” She looked around the kitchen, not certain what she was expecting to see. “Mr. Solo? Are you in here?” 

Behind her, she heard the ice-maker in the fridge kick on and she jumped slightly, and she edged herself towards the table, looking at the animals, as if they provided some clue. In the pile of four, she instantly recognized the brown rabbit that Jasmine had chosen for Ben, as well as the gray tabby cat that was picked for her. In the pile of three, the only one she knew by sight was the unicorn. “Shelly?” 

Somewhere outside, a car started up and Jennifer let out a breath and willed herself to relax. “This has just been a strange week.” She put the knife back, then went over to the table, and saw that the baggies were neatly folded in the larger bag she had put them in. She had a feeling if she put them away, she'd only find them spread out again. Steeling herself up, she walked out of the room and to the bar, taking the last of the champagne flutes, and started quietly saying the rosary, resolved not to look at the table again, and that when she got home, she was sending a group email to Ben, Jasmine and Nate.

**

Diana went still at the sound of the garage door opening. She shot a look over at her aunt, who was humming to herself as she finished wrapping a loaf of sourdough bread into foil. The whole house was fragrant from the smell of their afternoon of baking, but now, it seemed completely unsettling. While she had enjoyed the time with her aunt, the sound of her uncle's car brought back the reminder of why they were doing what they were. She looked back down at the cooling rack, and tentatively picked up one of the chocolate chip cookies and took a large bite out of it, big enough that she couldn't answer a question straightaway if asked.

The door from the garage opened, and then it shut, rather slowly and Uncle Kurt came into the room, looking from Diana to her aunt. “What's this?” 

The lightness of his tone concealed the panic she knew was there; that was the exact same tone she and her mom had at times.

“Diana, honey, would you please put on your coat and run this over to the Phasmas?” Aunt Amelia was wearing her Umbridge Smile again. “They live right across the street, the house with the green door.” 

“Sure.” She answered, going past her uncle to grab her coat out of the mudroom and the woman came over to hand her the baked good. “Are you sure they're home?” Not that she wanted to stay in this house if there was a screaming match. She shoved the rest of her cookie into her mouth as she quickly laced up her boots and pulled on the thick coat.

“Yes, they are.” She handed her the foil wrapped bread. “Sourdough.” She shot a look at Uncle Kurt, who went pale. Diana couldn't even begin to fathom just how mad her aunt was. “Take your time.” 

She nodded and went out into the garage, hitting the button to open the door and made her away around her aunt's car as the overhead door slipped up and she went out into the bracing afternoon. The heavy snowfall from yesterday was mostly cleared from the driveway and the street, but she could already make out places that were beginning to ice over. She wiped at her mouth, then held the bread one handed as she pulled on one mitten and then the other. Diana looked at the houses across from hers. The only one with a green door was the same one that she'd seen the tall woman at before Christmas. It was strange, because she hadn't seen the woman again. Shrugging, she made her way across the street and was halfway up the driveway when a behemoth of a vehicle pulled into it. 

Diana stood next to the walk as the tall woman got out of the driver's side door, and a smaller woman came around from the other side, holding onto the leash of an absolutely adorable looking dog. While the nearer one was pale and she could make out wisps of white-blonde hair under her cap, the other was dark haired, with hazel eyes – both of them were very pretty. “Good afternoon.” She managed politely, the tall woman had an odd look on her face. 

“Hello.” the second woman's face brightened and the dog came over and sniffed her, standing up on its hind legs. “Alder!” She admonished, and the dog stepped down. “He doesn't bite.” 

She looked back down at Alder. “Is he a corgi?” 

“Part corgi, part Siberian Husky.” the tall woman answered, her smile a little more certain. “You must be the Anslans' niece.” She cleared her throat, and held out her hand. “I'm Gwen Phasma.” 

She took the woman's offered hand and shook it, feeling rather like she'd fallen down the proverbial rabbit hole. “It's nice to meet you, Ms Phasma, my name is Diana Anslan-Solo.” She caught a flicker in the other woman's face, but only for a moment. 

“I'm Leslie Phasma, Gwen's wife.” The other woman held out her hand for her to shake as well. “That doesn't bother you, does it?”

Diana gave the pair a look as she let go of Leslie's hand. “I really don't see how it's any of my business. My mom says as long as everyone is of age and consenting and you keep your PDA the same you'd see in a Disney Princess story, what's the problem?”

Gwen beamed. “I like this girl.” The two women exchanged glances, and Leslie tightened her grip on the dog's leash as Alder made for the snow bank next to her. “Sourdough?” She indicated the foil package she was carrying.

“Yes.” She frowned. “How did you know?” 

“Your aunt gave my mom the recipe four years ago and she's yet to replicate it.” Gwen smiled, then glanced across the street. “Why don't you come inside and say hello?

“Are your parents as tall as you are?” Diana held the bread in both hands as Gwen punched a code into the panel on the side of the garage, and the door opened and the three of them walked inside. 

“My dad is.” Gwen answered as she pushed open the door to the house. “Grant, you better be decent!”

“Sheesh, give me a break, we're not in high school anymore.” a man said from somewhere inside and Leslie undid the latch on Alder's leash, causing the dog to take off, running straight into the other room. “Hey, it's my dog-phew!” 

She wrinkled her nose at the term and turned to Leslie. “What's that mean? Dog-phew?”

“The dog's our kid, so instead of a nephew, my brother-in-law calls him a dog-phew.” Leslie offered, grinning. “Some people are very attached to their pets.” 

Grant Phasma came into the room, carrying Alder in one arm. Like his sister, he was stupid tall, his blond hair shaved close to his head. “Hey, it's the kid from across the street.” He grinned and set the dog down, and the animal took off into the house. He looked younger than his sister by several years. “You have a nice Christmas?”

Diana managed a smile, even though she wanted to say that it had been terrible for so many reasons, but she steeled herself up. “It was nice, thank you.” She held the foil wrapped package up. “My aunt sent this over.” 

The man came and took it from her, sniffing the foil. “Sourdough.” He looked at his sister. “Mom still hasn't managed to make this, has she?”

“Not the way Amelia Anslan does.” Gwen shook her head, then turned to her. “How long have you been living here on the joy that is Oak Park?”

“Oh.” She straightened up, offhandedly wondering where Mr. and Mrs. Phasma were. Out of the corner of her her eye, she saw Grant take the bread to the far counter and started unwrapping it. “A little over a week. I moved here from Rotterdam. My mom's sick.”

“I'm sorry to hear that, Diana.” Leslie shot Grant a look. “Save some for the rest of us!” 

“What?” Diana could see he had chopped off a large hunk of the bread. “I can't get decent bread in Japan, let alone variety!” 

“Grant Jacob Phasma, what are you up to?” A woman, nearly the same size as Leslie, came into the room, looking rather flustered, Alder at her heels. “oh, the girls are here.” She took one look at Diana then back at her daughter. “Gwendoline Daphne Phasma, don't tell me you and Leslie dove into the mess that is the Illinois Foster Care System and didn't tell us.” 

“Mother.” The woman groaned. “Do you really think we would do such a thing and not tell you? And besides, you and dad both know that Leslie and I are too busy to be parenting.” She looked over at Leslie who had gone to defend the loaf of bread from Grant. “This is Diana, she lives across the street, with her aunt and uncle, Mr. and Mrs. Anslan.” 

It was funny to hear them called that. “It's very nice to meet you, Mrs. Phasma.” She straightened her shoulders and held out her hand towards the woman. “My name is Diana Anslan-Solo.” 

“Nice to meet you, dear.” She shook her hand and frowned. “Solo?” She looked over at the two women. “Isn't that the last name of the young man who lives downstairs from you?”

Diana pulled back her hand, her stomach dropping somewhere down her ankles. She wasn't certain how common of a last name Solo was in the States, but given how today had been, she wasn't going to eliminate the possibility that whomever the Solo who lived near Gwen and Leslie was Ben. But then again, these people couldn't know about the connection between her and her brother. She knew next to nothing about her own neighbors back in Rotterdam, then she almost laughed at herself. Given what she could tell by appearances, the Phasma couple lived in some high dollar place with open floor plans that you saw on HGTV. Ben wouldn't be living in that sort of place. There was a dull roaring in her ears and she was vaguely aware of someone speaking.

“I don't think it's the same.... Diana? Diana are you all right?” the voice came from far away as the floor suddenly became so much closer – and then – blackness.

**

Leia had gone into the office to find twenty-four post-it notes stuck to her door, all of them a variation of “great catch!” and given the looks some people were giving her, they were half-scared of what her reaction was going to be. Her response was to take the notes down and staple them together, tossing the pile into her purse and had thanked anyone who had told her they'd seen the video online. In the grand scheme of things, she supposed she was one of the last people who'd ever be the subject of something that went viral. 

Then again, her nieces and nephews had that sign of theirs from two summers ago...

When she had left the house, she had only given Jennifer a rough estimate of when she would be home. She also knew that it wouldn't take the young woman that long to pack up the glasses, and that she was more than welcome to start on the dishes in the kitchen, sorting them out into sets so she could go through and decide what to keep and what to donate. Lord only knew what all the girl could dredge out from the cabinets that she hadn't gone through since Ben lived here. When she eased her car into the drive, it was shortly before five in the evening, and she covered a yawn. “I should plan out my menu for the rest of my time here.” She opened the garage door and frowned as she pulled in at the rows of yellow trash bags, along with several pieces of furniture she recognized as belonging to the give-away pile in the spare space. “That girl.” She turned off the car and got out just as the door to the house opened. “Evening.” 

“Hi.” Jennifer looked rather abashed. “I figured it'd be easier to clean if you had all your donations in one place, rather than scattered through the house.” She ducked her head. “I figured that taking advantage of your car being gone was a good idea.” 

“Well, this is wonderful.” She gave the girl a one armed hug. “Thank you!”

“You're welcome.” Jennifer stepped aside so she could come inside. “I put all the liquor into the pantry, but there wasn't much.” She shut the door and went over to the kitchen table, collecting the bag of stuffed animals from Ben's room. “I need to get home.” 

“Of course, Jennifer.” She gave the girl a hug. “Thank you for all your help.” 

“You're welcome.” She shrugged into her coat. “My parents wanted me to invite you over for New Year's Eve. It's just a small gathering, but you're welcome to come over if you'd like. It starts at eight.” 

“That sounds like fun, Jennifer, thank your parents for me.” This was strange; then again, the Quirks were generally acknowledged as being the nicest people in the cul-de-sac. “I think I may just come.” It would be an opportunity to say good-bye, if nothing else. She walked the girl into the front hall. “Thank you again, for all your help.” She turned the porch light on before she unlocked the door.

“You're welcome, Ms. Organa.” She gave her a smile. “I was happy to help.” 

“Yes.” She opened the heavy door and then held the outer door so Jennifer could step outside. It had been a bit of a shock to her, six years ago when the girl had announced that she was going to enter a convent; most people were stunned, but Ben hadn't. He'd just sort of smiled, but to this day, Leia wondered if there wasn't a part of him that had been broken-hearted at the fact. “Jennifer? May I ask you something?”

The young woman turned around in the walkway, bathed in a halo of light from the porch. “Yes, Ms. Organa?”

“When did Ben learn that you were going to the convent? Did he know before you told everyone, or...” 

Jennifer broke her gaze. “Ben was the first person I told. Back when we graduated eighth grade.” She wrapped her arms around herself, and suddenly seemed fascinated by the yew bushes that lined the house. “I'm not Kira.” 

“Kira?” Leia frowned at the name. “Who's that?”

“In Ben's book.” She ducked her head. “I'm not Kira, neither is she Shelly, or Mari. Kira is someone that doesn't exist.” She turned and quickly walked down to the drive, keeping her head bowed, and Leia could tell the girl was praying.

“I am such an idiot.” She muttered as she shut and locked the doors, then turned out the porch light before heading back to the kitchen. 

**

The room was cast in a surreal glow, the remnants of dusk being slowly overtaken by night. The bed in Rey's room was set in front of the window, something that Ben had always thought impractical, as the view was to the east. He let out a soft sigh as he rolled over onto his side and set a hand on Rey's back, gently stroking it. She turned her head to face him, peering out from her disheveled hair. He gave her a smile, which she returned before he leaned over and kissed her, brushing her hair away so he could see her clearly, her face still flushed from their activities. “Can you talk?”

She let out a giggle and grinned. “Talk, yes. Walk, probably not.” She reached over and ran a finger down his arm. “Although staying right here until it's fully dark is fine with me.”

He chuckled and pulled her over so she was on top of him, gently stroking her hair and back. “Speaking of, you want to tell me why your blinds are open?” Not that he was objecting to it; truth was, he hadn't noticed them being open when they had stumbled in here, in almost the exact same manner they had into his room a month ago. He wasn't even certain how much time had passed since he and Rey had left the tub, their towels left lying in the doorway. They had barely made it to the bed as it was; and a little thing like an exposed window was the last thing on either of their minds.

“I opened them this morning when I was sorting things in my closet, and when I went to close them later, Arya had decided that the sunny spot was the perfect spot to take a nap, so I left them.” She moved to hold herself up on her hands, a rather mischievous smile on her face. “Besides, the building on this side of us is shorter, so no one can see anything.” 

He shook his head, rising up slightly to kiss her. “Which is why I keep things rated PG when we're in my study. That many windows and you never know who's got a camera, a high powered lens and a PornHub channel.” He slid his hands down to rest on her hips. “And don't you even think about bringing up the modeling for your class. That was different.”

“I wasn't going to.” She lifted her chin, looking out the window. “Although didn't you mention something about a private session?” 

Ben looked up at her for a moment, just watching her while she focused on something he couldn't see. He didn't think he could ever tire of looking at Rey like this. That lovely, clean, fresh open look that, given what he knew about her past, didn't seem to belong to her; and yet, at the same time was absolutely suited to her. He smiled as he reached up and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, causing her to return her gaze down at him. “I believe I did, and we don't have plans for tomorrow, do we?”

She chuckled and pressed her forehead against his. “No, we don't.” Before she could speak again, her stomach let off an audible rumble, and then his followed suit. “We need to eat.” She giggled and rolled off of him as he sat up. 

He ran a hand through his hair, looking over his shoulder at her. Rey calmly walked around the bed over to her dresser and opened the top drawer. He stood and walked over to her, kissing the top of her head. “I'll get dinner started.” He went to the door, picking up their discarded towels and put them back into the bath before going into his room to get dressed. 

**

From: jenquirk1992@gmail.com   
To: jasmine_fours@hotmail.com, benorganasolo@gmail.com, nate_turbine_engine@gmail.com  
Subject: The Box

Guys -

We made a promise twelve years ago this summer. It's time we kept it. Ben, I know you still have the box. How's everyone's Memorial Day weekend look? 

Blessings,

Jennifer

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Come say hi on Tumblr! @soldierofhalla17
> 
> Kudos and Comments are toast and jam. 
> 
> Email addresses used in this chapter are used fictitiously.


	14. Dusk in the North

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ben and Rey have two different sorts of conversations, Diana and her aunt learn a few things from the Phasmas, Han's going to try something different, and Leia encounters some unfinished business.

What brought Diana back was the taste of salt flooding her mouth. It was so strong, she nearly gagged on it, and she turned her head to the side, hacking and she felt a pair of hands lift her up slightly, and then something cold and wet pressed against her cheek, and there was an odd smell as well. She couldn't remember what exactly had happened, only that Mrs. Phasma had asked her daughter something about her neighbor, her downstairs neighbor who shared her last name. Of course. The Phasmas. She was over at their house and... 

“Alder! Down!” A voice close to her admonished, but instead of doing as asked, the dog started licking Diana's face. 

“Your breath stinks.” Diana muttered, and then the pair of hands holding her helped her sit up. She blinked, looking slowly around at the three people watching her, rather concerned. “I'm sorry.” She pushed the dog away from her face, but rather than leave, sat down on her legs. “You realize I'm bigger than you, yes?” 

“He thinks he's a Great Dane.” Gwen offered and she reached over to smooth hair out of her face. “You all right?”

“I think so.” She frowned, looking around, trying to piece together what had happened, and coming up blank. “I'm sorry.” 

“Oh, there's nothing to be sorry for. These things happen.” Leslie handed her a bottle of water. “Drink that slowly.” 

She nodded as she opened it, and she was propped up against the wall, and she took a gulp from the bottle, blinking. “So confusing.” She saw the two women exchange looks, and then took another sip of water and then reached out with her free hand to rub the dog behind his ears. “is this how you get people to stay where you want them?”

“Something like that.” Gwen sat down on the floor across from her, having to fold her long legs up so she could fit. “Rather, that's what he has to do with me.” She let out a breath. “You fainted when you found out that someone named Solo lives downstairs from Leslie and I.” 

Diana frowned, and then things seemed a little clearer. “Well, I know it's not a common last name, but my brother wouldn't live downstairs from you, he lives...” She frowned. “I don't know where Ben lives, but I don't think...” 

“Yeah, yeah he does.” the woman stated and gave her a plain look. “And I know about you too, Diana. Granted, Ben wasn't in the best of moods when he told me, but I know. He's not angry with you, he's angry with your father.” 

She took another drink of water. “That makes two of us.” 

“We'll let you into the club.” Leslie interjected from above them. “We sent Grant over to your house to get your aunt and uncle.” She frowned, but Diana could see a playful look in her eyes as she shifted her gaze to Gwen. “Isn't she your cousin too?”

“What?” Diana straightened up. “How?”

Gwen lifted her chin. “Last summer, Ben landed in an intensive care unit. They told me that it was family only. I said I was his cousin on his father's side.” 

The woman's words were somewhat confusing; English was that way at times. Then again, adults were confusing. “You could have just threatened to step on somebody.” She frowned. “I don't think I said that right...”

Leslie started to laugh. “Oh, this girl is a riot.” 

The other woman slowly stood and offered Diana a hand to help her up as well just as Mrs. Phasma came back into the room, along with an older man who had to be her husband. “Dad, she's okay.” 

“Excuse me, young lady? Are you the doctor in this family or am I?” He replied, smiling. “Are you feeling all right Miss Diana?' 

“Better.” She took another drink of water and she heard the door to the garage open and Grant walked back into the kitchen, followed by her Aunt Amelia, who was pink from the cold – she had come over coat-less. “You didn't kill Uncle Kurt, did you?”

“No.” She squared her shoulders. “Not yet.” She crossed the room and gave her a one armed hug. “What happened?” 

“Well...” Diana wasn't exactly sure how to explain what happened when she herself wasn't entirely sure. 

“Ami, I'll put it this way – if Victor Hugo was here to hear this string of coincidences, he'd be jealous.” Gwen spoke up first. 

_Ami?_

“Hm.” Her aunt frowned and then cleared her throat. “Diana, why don't you take your coat off? I have a feeling we may be here a little while.” 

**

Rey half-walked, half-slid across the living room in her thick socks towards the kitchen. When she reached the doorway, she stopped short when she saw that the box she'd discovered this morning was sitting on the counter, bold as anything, and Ben was standing at the stove, emptying the contents of a can of soup into a pot, completely calm. She stepped into the room, trying not to look at the box, going over to the pantry and grabbed the loaf of bread. “Grilled cheese and tomato soup?”

“That was the plan.” Ben answered, giving her a smile as she set the bread down, and then turned towards the fridge. “If that container is in your way, just stick it in the cupboard below.” His tone was so – light – it seemed strange. 

“Sure.” She went to the fridge, “four cheese or one cheese?”

He grinned at her. “Now that's a silly question, four, of course.” 

She shook her head as she grabbed the cheese singles and went over to the counter just as Ben put the butter down behind him, grabbing the griddle pan out of the cupboard before he turned back around. She spread out the cheeses; American, Pepper-Jack, Colby, and Swiss, worrying at her bottom lip. “You want one sandwich or two?”

“I can eat two.” He looked over his shoulder, his smile fading. “Is something wrong?” He shot a look towards the container next to her and then back, and something in his face changed. His expression was a cross between offended and curious. “Is this the first time you've seen that?”

Rey managed a smile; maybe the box wasn't as bad as she feared it was. “I saw it this morning when I was getting out the mixing bowl.” She turned away from him, pretending the framed photograph of a place called Sid's Diner suddenly fascinating. “Although the kitchen might not be the best place to store it.” 

“Well, better stuck in my kitchen than buried in a backyard in Buffalo. The reason we didn't do that was because Jordan stated that with Jasmine moving away, who knew where we'd all be ten years after the fact.” He let out a heavy sigh. “Did you open it?” There was a soft whirling sound from the spoon scraping against the bottom of the pot. 

She looked down at the counter and opened the package of bread and started to pull out slices in twos. What was she supposed to say? A part of her instantly wanted to argue that it was well after the 'do not open' date, but at the same time, she knew she had no business opening the box in the first place. It was a wretched silence; and in that instant, she realized that she had affirmed his question without saying a word. “I didn't open anything inside.” For some reason, she suddenly remembered that wretched scene at the end of _The Lovely Bones_ where some random man caught the dead girl's charm bracelet fishing and brought it home to show his wife, having no idea that down under that lake was her body and instead remarking that the girl who had owned it was all grown up – when, in truth, she'd been dead for decades.

“Please, don't do it again.” Ben's voice was strained; and there was a metallic clunk as the spoon hit the rim of the saucepan. “I keep it there because I knew that Bazine wouldn't find it there. I can look at it Rey, it's just...” He broke off and the scraping sound was back. 

She turned away from the counter to look at his back, not even wanting to go into the clusterfuck she knew his relationship with Bazine must have been. She couldn't fathom what sort of woman you'd have to be to not want to be around Ben, and she pushed herself off and moved forward, wrapping her arms around his waist, pressing her head against his back. “You're not angry with me, are you?”

He let out a long breath. “No, Rey. I'm not angry – just, that's a private thing, okay?” He chuckled wanly. “I spent my entire childhood without having to worry about anyone looking in places I didn't want them to; and then I moved out here, and Aunt Sabe and I, well, we respected each others' spaces.”

“You mean sort of like how you were about coming into my room?” She hugged him again, then reluctantly pulled away and opened the package of pepper-jack cheese.

“Something like that, yes.” He set the butter dish on the counter and she felt his hand on her back, rubbing the area slowly. “I'm not angry, if that's what you're worried about. I'm just... I'm not entirely used to sharing space and you're not used to not having to share, am I right?”

Rey leaned against him, putting her arm around his waist as relief filled her. “Yeah. There's also the fact that we both have a list of things a mile long of things we don't talk about, and yet, here we find ourselves encountering them and wondering what to do next.” 

“Exactly.” He kissed the top of her head and then returned to the stove. “Although I don't think we need to unpack any more of our emotional baggage this week – or any of next, for that matter.”

She finishing putting down the pepper-jack and picked up the package of Colby. “Next week is the start of my fun-filled twenty-one hours. I don't think I'll have time.” She shook her head, “How many hours do you have left?”

“Six.” He cleared his throat. “I'm going to start looking for a new job next week. Get my resume updated before then.” 

She set the slices down over the first. “I need to check my email, see if I have a book-list yet. Fortunately, most of my major's classes don't tend to have textbooks, just supplies.” Rey didn't want to add any more; she just wanted to enjoy the silence, the sheer simplicity of their current situation. It was sweet, just standing here in the kitchen, making dinner together and just – being together. As she opened package of Swiss cheese, she glanced over her shoulder at Ben, who was setting the griddle pan on the stove. “What's the weather supposed to be like tomorrow? Do you know?”

“Cold and gray.” Ben replied. “Not supposed to snow or anything, just be the typical sort of winter day. Did you want to get out and do something?”

“Well, we should probably go to the grocery store. Especially considering we're going to eat half of this loaf of bread for dinner.” She shrugged and finished fixing the sandwiches. “Make a list and whatnot.” 

“Hm.” He stirred the soup again. “Wonder if Jewel still has any half-price Christmas candy left.” 

“I didn't think you were a fan of junk food.” Rey started work on buttering the top slices of bread. “I've never seen you eat it.” 

“Normally, I'm not. But when someone is selling one pound bags of peanut M&M's for a dollar fifty, I'm not passing it up.” He chuckled. “Not to mention the sale on holiday baking supplies – or does the idea of chocolate chip pancakes sound terrible to you?”

She coughed as she handed him back the butter dish. Ben and his family were about five times more demanding in their persistence to feed her as Mrs. Dameron had ever been. “I was warned about the freshmen fifteen already.”

“Pfft, we do enough walking that we don't need to worry about it. It's a quarter of a mile to L, with stairs, coming back it's partially uphill. We walk practically everywhere we go.” He took the butter and dropped a few hunks on the griddle pan, sizzling when they came in contact with the hot surface. “And if you can't figure out what we do for cardio...”

Rey scrunched up her nose in a pout. “You're awful.” 

“Yeah, but you think it's cute when I say things like that.” He turned around and kissed her forehead. “Just like the face you're making is adorable.” 

*

Leia set the alarm, then walked into the kitchen. She was going to write down her to-do list for the rest of her time here in Buffalo, so she would be ready to leave come a week from Monday. The relator wanted her to have the house ready for showing on Tuesday, and she'd seen the woman attach a flyer-box to the for-sale sign this morning. In truth, she felt like she was just sitting around, waiting for the day she could leave, and this current limbo she found herself in was starting to needle at her. 

She fixed herself a mug of tea and went upstairs, deciding that if she was in for the night, she might as well put on sweats. She left the mug on her vanity and went into her closet, stopping short when she saw that her jewelry box was upturned on the floor, contents scattered. Even from where she was standing, she could see that one piece was conspicuously missing; her necklace of matched pearls that had belonged to Grandmother Organa. “What in?” Her mind raced; she knew she hadn't knocked it over herself this morning, it sat too far back on the stand for that to be possible, and none of the Quirks would have done it either. There was no pet to blame on the act either. Quietly, she backed out of the closet and went over to her bedside table, sliding the drawer of the table open and setting her hand on the pistol within. 

Resolved, hand still holding the weapon, she leaned down, checking under her bed, finding nothing but her second pair of slippers and a sock. Maybe she was overreacting; but at the same time, she didn't want to run the risk that she wasn't alone in the house. After rising to her feet, she crept towards her bathroom, flipping the light on beforehand, leaving the bright space illuminated, and, much to her relief, the room was empty. Her heart up somewhere near the back of her throat, she edged out of her room and into the hallway, pushing the door of her study open and she slowly walked the perimeter of the room, if only to look in the gap under the desk where only a contortionist or small child could fit and still keep the chair tucked in.

Outside, she heard a car start up in the Komer's driveway and she lowered her arm, still unnerved as she opened the door of the empty closet, telling herself that whomever had been in here must have been in while Jennifer was, and had somehow slipped out while the garage door was open. Although it seemed rather silly if all they had done was come in, take her pearls and then leave. How did the hypothetical thief even know about them? “Keep it together, Organa.” She muttered as she went into the hallway and turned the light on in Ben's room, going through it the same manner she had her study, the stripped bed revealing that there was nothing underneath, and when she went into the closet, it too, was empty – the crawl space to the attic closed. 

Behind her, the floor creaked and she turned quickly to see a woman standing in the doorway, arm raised, holding a gun of her own, the missing strand of pearls hung conspicuously around her neck. She didn't even stop to think as she lifted her arm and fired at the intruder, the gunshot echoing loudly in Ben's stripped room, the bullet struck near the stranger's right shoulder, causing her to drop her own gun. Leia stepped forward and kicked the gun towards the bed, and there was a loud thunk at it hit the baseboard on the far side of the room. 

Leia's heart was hammering so loudly, she was certain the woman could hear it as she reached into the back pocket of her pants and drew out her cell, quickly dialing nine-one-one. She kept the gun trained on the whimpering stranger, and it only rang once before it was answered.

“Nine one one, do you have an emergency?” A calm voice did little to bring down her heartbeat.

“Yes, my name is Leia Organa, I've just shot an intruder in my house.” She took a deep breath, not wanting to step past the woman and into the hall. The sound of the doorbell suddenly echoed through the house. “And I think my neighbors are outside, I'm in an upstairs room and cannot step past her safely to get downstairs and turn off the alarm.” 

“All right, stay calm, Ms. Organa, we have a fix on your location and authorities are in route.” The man's voice was even, a fixed spot in her current world. “Are you injured?”

“No, I'm fine.” She saw the woman lift her head, and in an instant, Leia recognized her from a picture she had seen several years ago, when she went out to Scottsdale to see her mother. She could see the image in her mind perfectly, a photograph that had clearly been cut in half with sharp scissors, the portion with the woman lying in the trash can. “I think I know who she is.” 

“Ma'am?” His tone shifted slightly and she could hear sirens somewhere in the subdivision. “I'm sorry, did you say you knew who the intruder is?” In front of her, the injured woman pushed herself up with her legs, hissing in pain and letting go of her wound for a moment to straighten, and she glowered up at her, clearly trying not to show how much pain she was in,

“Yes.” Leia stiffened, her mother had given her this woman's name, followed by an insult. “I believe she's my son's ex-girlfriend.” The sound of sirens grew louder and she lifted her chin. “Her name's Bazine. They broke up three years ago.” Dozens of questions were circling through her mind, and how this woman got into her house and what she was doing there were near the top, but strangely – she wants to know how the hell she knew about the pearls hanging around her neck was the most pressing one.

“A jellyfish has a stronger spine that Ben.” Bazine spat, and Leia wanted to kick the woman's teeth in on principle. The woman's expression changed into something that the older woman was familiar with; the smirk of a criminal who felt no remorse for their actions. “Although he is a pretty amazing fuck. Even when he was a virgin.” 

Leia tightened her grip on her pistol and looked away from the young woman, wanting to vomit. “Could you please tell the officers to hurry? I'm rather tempted to shoot her again.” 

*

Han rested his arm against the glass, leaning against it as he stared down into the city below him. He supposed he should have known that just showing up outside Ben's building was a bad idea. But his son had been right; he wasn't twelve years old anymore, and any sort of fixing their relationship was next to impossible. He'd barely recognized his son; he'd gotten so tall and filled out, no longer the lanky teenager he'd been on graduation day six years ago. Somehow, he always saw his eldest as being somewhere around ten, the same way he tended to see Diana as being around seven, despite how often he saw her. There was an entirely different matter.

“Can't change the past.” He muttered, and he straightened up, letting his arm fall. He was here in Chicago for a week; and he had no idea what to do now. He wasn't stupid enough to invite both of his children to dinner sometime during his stay here – he doubted that Kurt or Amelia would allow Diana to go, and he knew Ben would not show up. He looked back out the window, and from where he was standing, he could see the corner of Ben's apartment building, the side his son lived on blocked from his sight. “Dinner's too daunting.” He turned away and walked over to the small table, pulling the amenities book of the hotel towards him. On the inside cover was tucked a list of nearby restaurants, marked with what type of food they served and distance. Lunch sounded safe. A lunch with both of his kids, and most likely, Diana's aunt or uncle – if he could somehow arrange it. 

Taking a breath, he pulled his cell phone towards him, hoping that he could at least have this.

No. Not for him.

For his kids. 

He at least would like them to meet on civil terms, given how terrible their introduction had been.

*

Today had been too full. There was no other way to describe it. The whole week, even though it was only half over, had been to full. From Christmas on Sunday, to the hurried trip back to Chicago on Monday, the aftermath of yesterday's plane crash, and now – now today had seemed like a week all on its own. Not that today had been all bad, some of it had been wonderful – but it could have done with a few less things. Ben supposed that in hindsight, having so much to do was a good deterrent to keep him from staying in bed. 

He sat on the floor of his apartment in his study, resting his hands on his knees as closed his eyes and focused on his breathing. Doctor Andres and practically every other psychiatrist he'd ever seen told him that meditation would help, to filter things out and let go of things that were hanging over him. Given the sort of baggage he had, it'd never been entirely possible. Something always came back to haunt him. He couldn't just rid himself of issues. 

He almost congratulated the good doctor for not letting his jaw drop when he informed the man that his mother had showed up for Christmas.

Ben supposed that since he'd not been surprised by his mom's arrival, it was somehow more manageable than today's interaction with his dad. Not to mention that Uncle Luke's was sort of neutral territory. True, it was the family farm, but it wasn't his place, it wasn't his apartment, his street, his city. This was his refuge from all that drama, and having his father show up outside the building felt like a complete invasion of his privacy.

Then again, his father wouldn't know that. 

Han Solo knew next to nothing about him. 

Behind him, he heard the door to the living room open, and he frowned; that henge had squeaked earlier today. “I could have fixed that.” 

“I know.” Rey's voice came closer and he heard her sit down. “But I found the DW Forty this morning and figured that I may as well take care of the squeaks.” Her hand settled on his back, rubbing the area in slow circles. “This okay?” 

He leaned forward. “Yeah.” He opened his eyes, trying to smile. “Trying to take my therapist's advice and meditate, or something like that.” 

She let out a delicate snort. “Ah yes, meditation, the cure all for every mental ill, just like yoga is the magic cure for anything physical.” She moved so she was sitting behind him and could use both of her hands to rub his back. “My guidance councilor in high school was a New Age psychopath. Solution to everything was just a matter of focusing your mind on the positive, rather than the negative. Rumor has it that the only reason she keeps her job is because she knows where all the staff's skeletons are buried. I don't know what the others were like, she was assigned all the students whose last names who started with J through L.” 

Ben let out a weak chuckle. “Sounds like your high school was vastly more interesting than mine. Then again, you had a bigger cast to work with.”

She kissed the back of his neck and slid one hand up under his shirt, rubbing the spot between his shoulder blades.“I don't think I know even an eighth of what all was going on. I just kept my head down and stayed out of trouble.” She moved her other hand to join the first and Ben had to resist the urge to just pull the garment off. “Any reason you're keeping it dark in here?”

He leaned back into her touch, the soft massage doing more than his breathing had for his ability to relax. “Not really.” He groaned as she scratched his back, letting his shoulders slump. “I just hadn't really bothered to turn the light on.” He ran a hand through his hair. “Today has just been – it's been crazy.” 

“This whole week has been crazy, and it's not even over yet.” She pulled her hands out and wrapped her arms around him, resting her chin on his shoulder. “You want to go to the store in the morning or in the afternoon?”

He chuckled, taking one of her hands in his and kissing her fingertips. “We have to sleep first, then I can answer that question.” 

“Fair enough.” She leaned her head against his. “Sort of an interesting view.” She stood up for a moment and he turned to see her click on the lamp over his desk, and he blinked a few times at the brightness. “Sorry.” 

“It's okay.” He squeezed her ankle. “Just come back down here.” 

“Was planning on it.” She resumed the position she had been in, and he took her hands in his. “Arya's playing with the empty crate again.” 

He chuckled and leaned back against her, letting himself just enjoy the closeness. “There's going to be eleven more of them in a few days. I have no idea what I'm going to do with the boxes once they're empty.” 

“We could organize a massive Goodwill donation in the building.” Rey nuzzled his neck. “Don't people usually have clean things out as a New Year's Resolution?”

“A lot of people do, yes.” Ben absently thought of the bookshelves in the other room, he'd kept them empty due to Arya's tendency to climb on them. “I probably should go through that china cabinet and let a few things go. If Aunt Sabe's kids haven't come after them by now, odds are, they never will.”

“I know of a fifty year old waffle iron that can definitely be put in the donation pile.” Rey quipped. “What do you think?”

“Good idea. Although I think I'll keep the deviled egg plate.” He chuckled, trying to remember the last time he'd checked his closet for things he never wore or had outgrown. “I'll make a list.” He grimaced. “Okay, that sounded terrible.” 

“No it didn't.” She kissed his cheek again, smiling. “I should make them more often myself – and I didn't know you had a deviled egg plate.”

“It's near the top of the china cabinet, with all the cake plates.” Ben rubbed the back of Rey's hand with his thumb, his mind not really focused on cleaning things out, or even on the impending arrival of his things from Buffalo this weekend. “That reminds me...” He leaned forward and pulled one of the picture frames off of the shelf in front of them, “in case you wanted to see another picture of me at your parent's wedding.” 

Rey leaned over him, her fingers running along the glass. “That piece of cake in front of you is about the size of your head!”

He chuckled, “This is also one of the few pictures I have with my mom that I actually like.” It was hard to believe that his relationship with his mother had actually been wonderful and unbroken. He couldn't remember much about the Kenobi wedding, except for that absolutely huge slice of chocolate cake with frosting that tasted vaguely of oranges. Strangely, he also remembers the necklace his mother is wearing; the band of matched pearls she only wore on special occasions – the last time he'd seen her wear them had been his high school graduation. “Speaking of things people do at weddings, You want to dance?” 

“Dance?” She pulled away and sat on the floor, her hand on his knee, looking at him curiously as he put the frame back. “You mean go out and dance, or something?” She worried at her bottom lip. “It's freezing out there.” 

“No, there's space in the main room, and I know we both have some good play-lists to dance to.” He shrugged. “Not to mention we don't have to change clothes.” It was a random suggestion; but it was something to do – something to keep himself occupied and he knew that if he started cleaning the china cabinet out, he'd not want to quit until he was done, and that would take him until two in the morning. He leaned forward and kissed her nose. “Or do you not know how to dance?”

Rey pulled her face into that pouting expression that she always did when he teased her. “I can dance, I just...” She folded her arms. “None of that fancy Dancing With the Stars stuff.” 

“I never watch that show, so I can't relate.” He stood up and held out his hand to pull her to her feet. “Although given what I hear about it, I can't do even a third of what they do,” he shrugged, “or rather, I most likely forgot, as the only couples dance I can really remember how to do from Social Dance is the East Coast Swing.” 

She looked down at their still joined hands. “Teach me?”

He pulled her arm up and kissed the back of her hand. “I'd be happy to.” 

And he meant it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Pearl Necklace: https://www.tumblr.com/dashboard/blog/soldierofhalla17/160455431269


	15. Wednesday's Child

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wednesday's child is full of woe; and Ben's slow transition into his down becomes a free fall.

Rey lay in bed, listening to the sounds of the apartment, before she let herself completely wake. Behind her, she could hear Ben snoring softly, his arm wrapped around her middle, his face pressed into the back of her neck. This was what she had missed during those long nights earlier in the month when he was away at work, and she'd been alone, save for the cat. More than once during those nights she'd pulled the covers completely over her head so she could immerse herself in his scent. As they were now, it was the simple, tender intimacy that was skipped over in books and in movies. The two of them had gotten into bed shortly before midnight, more tired than anything; yesterday had been too long, too eventful. She grunted and turned over in Ben's arms, tucking herself under his chin, breathing deeply and pressed her lips against his neck for a moment before she settled.

The only reason she knew that they were in Ben's bed and not hers was because of the smell of the linen and the number of pillows. His bedclothes were saturated in the scent of lavender while her own smelled of rain, although she was certain that after what they did in her bed yesterday afternoon, the scent must have faded. She let out a breath and opened her eyes, and realized she was almost perfectly aligned with a scar that ran down the right side of his body, one that started at his collarbone and went halfway down his chest. It was faded enough that it couldn't have been put there during that wreck this past summer, and it was jagged, much like the one on his face. She lifted her fingers to trace it, and he gave out a low breath as did. 

“Didn't mean to wake you.” She mumbled, pressing her lips to the top of the scar. “Or were you already awake?”

“Awake.” His hand slid down her back and then under her shirt. “This okay?” Ben's hand rested just under her shoulder-blades, his touch firm, but light.

“Yeah.” She rubbed her cheek against him, loving the feel of his fingers on her spine. “What happened here?”

“Fell out of a tree and landed on a rock at scout camp.” He half-chuckled, the memory couldn't be that painful if he was speaking in that tone. “I was fourteen; walked myself to the infirmary and received nine stitches.” 

“Ouch.” Having never been to camp, she wasn't sure what he had been doing in the tree, although just going to camp to climb trees did sound fun. She also wondered how high up he had been in the tree to fall and not injure himself more grievously. “I've never had stitches.”

“You're not missing much.” Ben shifted and a moment later, he was on his back under her, his other hand on her hip. “Getting them in isn't as bad as having them taken out.” He closed his eyes, sighing contentedly.

Rey reached out and slid her fingers down the scar on his face, trying to imagine how many stitches it'd taken to close the wound; and pressed a kiss to the top of the mark, then slowly began trailing her lips down it, and as she reached his cheek, felt both of his hands slide under her shirt. She pulled away and smiled. “Am I wearing too many clothes?” 

He chuckled and kissed her nose. “We both are.” He tugged on the hem of her shirt and she moved just enough so he could pull the garment off of her and tossed it towards the floor. “That's better.” He slid underneath her and his hands settled on her hips, his thumbs hooked around the band of her panties, tugging them down, and she moved so he could slip them down her legs, and put her own hands on the waist of his pajama pants, pulling them off his hips. “We're going to end up twisted if we're not careful.” 

She pressed her forehead against his as she moved off of him so she could finish removing her panties and a moment later, he tossed his pants off the bed as well and she moved back so she was over him. “That's better.” 

“It is.” He pulled her back down into his arms so they were pressed skin to skin, and she could feel the head of his cock pressed against her thigh, his hand slowly moving up and down her spine. “Comfortable?”

“Yes.” She nuzzled against his neck, enjoying the contact and slipped a hand into his hair. “Although I might start to get heavy after a while.”

“You're relatively light.” His hands settled on her rear, and she lifted herself up to look down at him. “It's more likely that I'd crush you before you crushed me.” 

“That's why you're Bear.” Rey chuckled as she slid her hand between the two of them, taking the base of his cock between her fingers and guiding him to her entrance, groaning softly as the head brushed against her lips. “Okay?” 

“Yeah.” Ben sat up, catching her off guard as he did, his cock sliding into her quim as he rose up, and she let out a soft cry and wrapped her arms around him, one of his his hands remaining on her rear, the other on her back. “Sunshine.” He rasped, gently rocking his hips against hers, holding her still as he move against her. “My Sunshine.” 

She moaned softly as he filled her, pressing her feet against the mattress, her knees pressed against his arms as they moved, his cock deep enough inside that the shallow thrusts caused her to shiver, and she pressed her lips against the scar on his face. “Love you, Bear.” 

“Love you too, Sunshine.” He moved the two of them sideways, and she guessed he had planned his feet on the floor to give him more leverage, because his thrusts became longer, but the momentum didn't change. “Comfortable?” 

“Uh huh.” she rocked her hips in tandem with his, her lips still lingering against his scar. “I love being in your arms.” 

“What a coincidence, I love having you there.” He breathed and began to move harder against her. 

*

Leia elected not to call Ben late last night after the police had finished gathering evidence in the house and she'd answered so many questions that she was on the cusp of asking for relevance. The cleaning crew was still scheduled to come by on Monday, so the house would be ready to show to buyers on Tuesday. Although how the whole thing would work now that her home was technically a crime scene, she had no idea. Poor Jennifer and her brothers had also been questioned and fingerprinted by the authorities, so that their prints could be distinguish from Miss Natal's, if she'd left any elsewhere in the home. 

How that woman even knew about her pearls was a mystery to her. Ben wouldn't have talked about them; or else it was sheer stupidity that caused her to don the necklace and leave all of Leia's birthstone jewels – emeralds – scattered on the floor. 

Instead of sleeping, Leia had spent the early morning hours putting her jewelry box back in order. The police had left the entire contents on her dresser; she'd gone through the lot and determined that the only thing that wasn't there was the necklace currently in an evidence bag somewhere with the Buffalo Police Department. 

Covering a yawn, she walked into her office and took a long pull of coffee from her travel mug. “Morning, Ingrid.” 

The young woman stood up, looking about as tired as she felt. “Good morning, Ms Organa.” She paused. “Are you all right? I... uh...” 

“I'm fine, Ingrid.” She suddenly remembered that the damn news media had shown up around ten last night and her assistant must have recognized her house. “Shook up, but uninjured.” She saw the look on the other woman's face, and gestured for her to sit down, pinching the bridge of her nose. “I'm not fine.” She set down her bag and put her coffee cup down so she could remove her coat and toss it over her arm. “This week has been too eventful. I could have done with one less thing, if that makes sense.” 

“Perfect sense.” She answered as she sat down, looking uncertain as she took a drink from her own coffee mug. “There are no meetings today, as pretty much everyone who's going on vacation has left. Everyone who's still here is just getting caught up on paperwork, that sort of thing.” She set her mug down. “I'll be here until about noon....”

“Oh, that's right, you're going to Disney....World?” Leia ventured – she could never keep the two parks straight. She took a drink from her own mug, giving the woman a smile.

“Yes.” She smiled. “Hopefully, I'll come home and find all the packing done.” 

Leia took up her bag. “I think I have some paperwork to do myself. Have a wonderful vacation, Ingrid.” 

“Thank you, Ms Organa.” She replied, smiling. “Happy New Year.” 

“Happy New Year.” Leia went into her office, shutting the door behind her with a soft groan. With most everything packed up, the room seemed terribly empty as she made her way to her desk and got settled. As she was hanging up her coat, her phone buzzed and hit the answer button. “Yes, Ingrid?”

“You have a call on line one from a Ms. Amelia Anslan, from Oak Park, Illinois.” She coughed. “Excuse me.”

“Thank you, Ingrid.” she paused. “And if you'd like to take off early, that's perfectly fine. Drive carefully and have a safe trip.” 

“Thank you, Ms. Organa.” The intercom clicked off and Leia hit phone line, and at the same time realized where she knew the name Anslan from.

“Leia Organa.” She stated crisply.

“Good morning.” the woman replied, sounding guarded. “I'm sorry, we haven't been properly introduced, but Gwen Phasma gave me your business number, and I believe it's important that the two of us have a talk.” 

She sat down at her desk, tucking the receiver under her chin as she opened a drawer of her desk and drew out a legal pad to take notes. “I didn't know you and Gwen were acquainted, or that you knew the two of us were.” 

“My husband and I have lived across from her parents for the past fifteen years.” She cleared her throat. “She and I also felt it was better for us to contact you first, before we talked with your son.” There was a pause and a rustling noise Leia couldn't identify. “I would like to state that I had no idea that my husband had hired a private investigator to gather information on Benjamin, and I can also inform you that it will cease.” 

Leia nearly dropped her pen. They'd only had a suspicion that someone was following Ben, but to hear someone openly admit it? “I appreciate your honesty, Mrs Anslan.” She scribbled down a few notes on her pad, the tapped the pen against it. “A refreshing change from the usual.” 

“You're welcome, and please, Ms. Organa, you may call me Amelia.” Another rustling noise; perhaps the woman was drinking coffee as well, and she had the unsettling image of this woman sitting at her own desk, with whatever information had been gathered about her son in front of her. “Since this whole situation is rather delicate, with my sister-in-law being ill,” she took a breath. “and under the circumstances, more for my niece's sake, I want to know if you have any objections to Diana and her brother having contact with each other.” 

This wasn't what she expecting. She really hadn't thought over what would happen between her son and his sister, because Ben was an adult. But for Diana's aunt to call her and ask if she minded? When her relationship with Ben was shaky at best? She took a sip of coffee before answering. “Given Ben's age, my objections, if I had any, wouldn't be relevant.” She picked up her pen and started writing again. “Although I do appreciate you asking me, Amelia.” She gave a half chuckle. “I suppose I should warn you, my brother's children might be taking Diana on as their cousin.” Her notes started to become a doddle on the paper. “And knowing my brother, he's not going to object.” 

“How many of them are there?” she sounded genuine, and rather amused. 

Leia figured that whomever had been following Ben hadn't uncovered her brother's home in De Smet, or if he had, had dismissed them as unimportant -or had known better to poke around in a town that small and expect to keep a low profile. “Five – Anna, Elijah, Daisy, Liam, and Elisa – and don't worry, they're very easy to tell apart.” 

“Well, I was... one moment.” Leia heard a shuffling noise. “Find out if it's the neighborhood or the school district they want to stay in. Yes, those are two very different things!” She coughed. “Sorry about that, trying to get a few things set up for next week. Anyway, I was thinking of having Diana and Ben meet sometime before the end of the holiday season, perhaps lunch on New Year's Eve, as we have plans for that night.” It sounded like she took a sip of coffee. 

“You'll have to discuss this with Ben, not myself.” She closed her eyes, trying to recall what he'd told her about his life in Chicago. “I do know that he attends some sort of New Year's Eve event at the Art Institute, with Gwen and Leslie every year.” She heard a thump on the other end. “Mrs Anslan, are you all right?”

“I'm fine...” She coughed. “I believe lunch would be a good idea, especially considering that my husband and I were planning on taking Diana with us when we go to the same event.” 

Leia nearly stood up in shock. She knew that running into his little sister unexpectedly would not be good for her son. “Well, I can inform you that Ben will eat just about anything, but I believe that you need to speak with him now, instead of myself.” She took a breath. “Whatever there is to be between Diana and Ben, I really don't have any right to object. It's not their fault they have a creep for a father.” 

*

Ben leaned against the handle of the shopping cart as he and Rey made their way down the isle of Jewel, scanning their list, then looked over at the shelf, stopping to pull a jar of salsa off and set it into their cart, while in front of him, she was scanning the rows of pasta sauce that were on sale. “You see anything you like?” 

“Problem is they all sound good.” They came to a stop and she looked at the area, her hands stuffed into her pockets. “When they're three for five dollars, you really can't pass that up. Considering they're usually three dollars for one jar.” She stepped forward and selected the super chunky mushroom variety. “You pick one now.” 

“Hm.” He straightened up, and reached for his automatic favorite of the brand – garlic and sweet onion. “Is there one here we've not tried?” 

Rey crouched down to look at the bottom shelves. “Does vodka sauce taste anything like vodka?”

“Hardly. The vodka's in there to keep the sauce together, since it's both cream and tomato. That must be a new flavor, I don't remember seeing it before.” He checked their list again as he heard Rey add the last jar to their cart. “We don't need dry pasta, so I think we're done with this isle.” He pushed the cart forward, letting her guide it around the corner display of cookies. Responsibility, more than anything else, had caused them to leave the apartment this morning, and he had checked his email before they left. What he was not thinking about was the one from his father, but rather, the conversation that was already going on between himself, Nate, Jen and Jasmine. They went past the isle with salad dressing and pickles before heading down the cereal one. “Coffee pods are on sale too, we should stock up.” 

She glanced back at him as she dropped several variety packs of coffee pods into the cart. “What's up? You've been kind of – I don't know, off – since we left this morning.” 

“Drama, that's all.” He ran a hand through his hair, managing a smile, and then cleared his throat. “Some of it tied to that box in the kitchen.” He set a package of waffle mix to the cart before they came to the end of the isle. 

“Let me guess, you guys need to get together and open it?” She looked back over her shoulder as they made their way past the open freezer, scanning the contents, but not removing anything from it. “If one of them needs to stay with us, I'm not objecting.” 

“What if you invited Poe and Finn up the same weekend?” He shrugged. “We can work out the sleeping arrangements later, because I know that if anyone stays with us, it'd be Nate. Jen's already planning on staying with Jasmine.” 

Rey's face split into a wide smile. “That sounds like fun. Although you'd probably have to undergo interrogation by Mrs. Dameron to prove you're a responsible adult and promise to remain so. I know you are, but, well... mothers, I guess.” 

“I know what you mean.” He chuckled. “I think I can manage.” He leaned back down against the handlebar, his mind going to his father's email instead. He hadn't agreed to meet him for lunch tomorrow, and quite honestly, he didn't want to, but at the same time, a niggling voice in his mind said that he _should_. It was just one meal – not like a weekend or even dinner. He could go to lunch, come home and stay there until he had to get ready for Saturday night. “We were thinking of getting together for Memorial Day weekend, so that's school already eliminated from the equation. Gwen can probably find you guys a discount on a baseball game. Can't visit Chicago and not watch the Cubs play.” 

“Maybe.” She turned to face him, walking backwards as they went up the pet food isle. “Plenty of time to work out details.” she glanced to the side. “Do we need litter?”

“Nope.” He grabbed the bag of indoor formula off the shelf and added it to the cart. “Arya doesn't need any treats either.” He scanned the paper-goods and checked the list and he saw Rey check her watch.

“My script should be ready, since I called it in before we left. You don't have anything over there, do you?” Rey rubbed her nose, and then ducked her head, realizing what she'd asked. “I'll be right back.” She walked up the isle and he saw her turn the corner, heading for the pharmacy. 

He chuckled and turned down the dairy isle, and then heard his phone buzz in his back pocket – an unknown caller. He pulled the phone out and glanced at the screen – the area code was here in Chicago, and he frowned as he hit the accept button; maybe it was Jasmine, he didn't have her number saved yet. “Hello?” 

“Good afternoon, is this Ben Solo?” it was a woman's voice – unfamiliar. 

“Yes.” He replied, uncertainly as he stopped by the open fridge container and selected several containers of shredded cheese. “Are you calling from Doctor Andres's office?”

“I don't know who that is. My name is Amelia Anslan, Diana's aunt.” the woman answered, almost chuckling. “I'm terribly sorry to be calling out of the blue like this, but...”

He gripped the cart, willing himself to remain calm. He had no reason to panic; everything was perfectly normal. “I understand. The situation we are in is rather strange.” He pushed the cart forward, choosing to not fire back with questions about her husband and ask if he was indeed spying on him. “How's Diana?” 

“She's good.” There was a pause. “I spoke with your mother before I called you, I hope you don't mind.” 

“No. And that makes sense.” He didn't know how old this woman was – he couldn't tell by her voice, at least Gwen's age, if not older. She sounded similar to Leslie in his mind; the sort of friendly that you couldn't help but like. “How can I help you?” 

“I received an email from your father, something about him having lunch with you and Diana before he leaves Chicago.” She cleared her throat. “Clearly, I am uncomfortable with letting Diana go, and I'm certainly not letting her go alone.” 

Ben stopped short, an idea flaring up in his mind. “I hadn't decided on going yet myself.” He leaned against the cooler, and he smiled. “You should come with her, Mrs Anslan. I'm not certain of all the details, but something tells me having your husband and my father in the same room is a very bad idea.” 

“Agreed.” She coughed. “It is rather last minute, I admit, and I understand if you're otherwise occupied.” 

“Is Diana with you right now?” It was the middle of the work day, and he had no idea what the woman did for a living. Then again, they could just as easily be at home, what with the holidays.

“Yes, would you like to speak with her?” Her tone shifted to one that was almost happy; good.

“Please.” He stepped away from the cooler and started pushing the cart again, heading back towards the frozen foods. 

“One moment.” There was a scuffling noise and he heard a few other scrambling sounds before someone spoke again.

“Hello?” Diana's voice sounded pained. “Ben?”

“Hallo, Diana. You okay?” He frowned, waiting, and resolutely ignored the cartons of ice cream in the end-cap freezer before turning up the isle.

“I hit my foot against the leg of Aunt Amelia's desk when she handed me the phone.” She hissed. “It hurt.” she coughed. “Hallo.”

He chuckled, switching to Dutch almost without a second thought. “Well, watch out for those in the future. I once hit my foot a newel post at my friend's house and fell down the stairs.” 

“Ouch.” She coughed again. “I don't want to have lunch with dad. I'm still mad at him.” 

“So am I.” He smirked. “Which is why I say we have lunch – and he just happens to be there. Just because we're at the same table, doesn't mean we have to talk to him.” He stopped next to the frozen pizza. “Then he can use his next rotation of work to think about what he's done. Or even the next two or three, I don't care.” 

“That's mean!” She let out a giggle – the sound reminded him of Daisy.

“Well, what he did was meaner.” He retorted, remembering to curtail his language since his sister was eleven, and returned to English. “And if your aunt wants to sit there and play a couple dozen levels of Candy Crush Saga on her phone while we have lunch, so much the better.” This was a whole new experience for him; in the past, mutual anger towards his father had been with his mother, and their reasons had been different. He went further up the isle and grabbed the frozen ravioli from inside the freezer. “We get to meet, we get lunch, your aunt gets to meet me, and Han Solo gets to find out just how deep of a hole he's gotten himself into.” He saw Rey at the front of the isle and pushed the cart towards her. 

“That could work. You should probably talk to my aunt again.” She coughed. “Have a nice afternoon.” 

“You too, Diana. Watch out for desk legs.” He grinned and he heard her huff as she handed the phone back to her aunt. “Don't try to talk us out of this.” He knew she'd heard almost all of what he'd told his sister, although he wasn't certain how well or even if she understood Dutch.

“I wasn't going to.” She cleared her throat. “I believe that in order for you two to have adequate time to speak, we're going to have to introduce your sister to the wonder that is Chicago-style pizza.” 

*

Rey stuffed the folded canvas bags into their spot in the pantry, then straightened the cereal boxes, more out of something to keep busy than necessity. Behind her, she could hear Ben working at the other end of the kitchen, putting things to rights in the narrow laundry room. He'd explained the phone call on their ride back to the apartment, odd as it was. She shut the pantry door tightly then leaned against the counter, watching him work. As much as she wanted to ask if he was going to be alright to go to lunch with his dad, she also knew not to harp on the subject. If he wanted her to come along, he would ask. A part of her almost wanted to insist that she _should_ come along. It was a mess. She had seen what just a few minutes of Han Solo had done to him yesterday. 

Maybe it'd be better since this was going to be planned. 

Arya rubbed against her legs and chirped, then walked into the living room, and she could hear the collar-bell ringing before it stopped somewhere in the vicinity of her studio. She glanced over at the crock-pot, the smell of their dinner wafting around them. “What time did you want to eat?” 

“That won't be ready for at least another two hours.” He came up towards her, kissing the top of her head. “Are you hungry?”

“No, I was just wondering.” She followed him out of the kitchen, and went to sit on the couch, watching as he went into his office, leaving the door ajar. “Guess the errands didn't take us as long as we thought they would.” She stopped herself from sitting down when he didn't come back out of his office. “Alone time.” She whispered to herself and turned and went into her studio, pulling the blinds open to flood the room with afternoon sunshine, that while not really warm, was still bright. After getting one of her sketchbooks and her pencil bag, she sat down at the low table, her legs stretched out in front of her. 

Rey flipped through the pages, realizing that she'd grabbed her one from Life Drawing, which she hadn't touched since she finished her final piece for the class. Looking back, she felt her work was oddly detached, rather the way the teacher must have wanted it originally, with most of the last drawings of each subject seeming to be the best. She turned the page onto her first drawing of Ben – back when all she could see on him were scars. 

The picture almost didn't look like him. 

Her first sketch of Ben gave more details to the scars and blemishes, rather than who they belonged to. Except for his hair; that mass of dark that curled and hung around his face like a halo. She'd thought about his hair during that class almost as much as the scars; wondering if it was as soft as it looked, what did he do to make it look that way – and she'd wanted to get her hands on it. 

The sound of a jingling bell snapped her from her thoughts and she looked up just in time to see Arya settle down on the end of the futon, and chirp at her. With the added natural light, the stark contrast of the cat's black fur and the white fitted sheet seemed twice as sharp and Rey grinned as she turned her book to a fresh page. “Little diva.” She chuckled and unzipped her pencil bag, taking out the sharpener, eraser and a half-gone pencil. 

She glanced back at the cat as she prepared to get to work. “You're not going to get up, are you?” Almost as soon as she spoke, she could hear Ben's cell phone go off – and Arya's head jerked towards the sound; and the animal let off a hiss. “I know, I know – that's what, the fifth time Leia's talked to him this week?” She shook her head as the animal settled. “Maybe that truck is delayed.” She put the sharpener down and gave her subject another look. “I'm starting to think I have the worst hair around here.” Putting her phone on the table she started to work, beginning with a rough outline of the futon and the cat. 

Time stretched out – or maybe it flew past. All she knew was that she'd been staring at a nearly blank piece of paper one minute, and then suddenly the sketch was nearly complete. Arya was almost asleep in her spot, and Rey noticed how silent the apartment was as she put her pencil down. Frowning, she slowly turned towards the door to the dining room and saw Ben standing there in the threshold. 

Standing wasn't the right word. 

More like the door-frame was holding him upright. 

“Ben?” She stood up just as he staggered into the room, and it was almost as if he didn't see her. He went straight to the futon and laid down, and no sooner was he on it than Arya was up, shoving herself against him, chirping in tone that Rey hadn't heard her use before. 

Ben curled up in a fetal position in front of her, the cat snuggled against him, and still he hadn't spoken a word to her. What the hell had Leia said to him? His focus was only on his pet, and she didn't know what to do; what was going on? Stepping closer to the futon, she was able to see Arya licking the tears from his face. “This is the good room, isn't it Arya?” 

Good room? 

“She never hurt me here, did she?” His voice cracked and Rey was about to ask who this 'she' was when she remembered - 

_You're nicer than that snake he used to date._

Bazine. 

A name she'd only heard a few times, but didn't dare ask about.

“No. Not this room. We used to sleep here, didn't we?” Ben's voice cracked as he spoke and Rey went over to the futon, sitting down on the corner of it, hesitant to reach out to him. “We had to work our way back, didn't we? Took us six months, but we made it, didn't we?” He closed his eyes. “We made it.” 

Rey looked at Ben and then at the futon mattress – since she knew how he slept, this had to be terribly uncomfortable for him, even in his current position he barely fit. “Ben?” She said softly, reaching out and stroking his cheek, willing herself to remain calm. “Ben?”

“Not this room. Never this room.” He whispered, his voice shaking. 

“I'll be right back.” she stood and walked quickly from the room and went into his; grabbing his sports blanket and coming back, laying it down over him before sitting back down, a little closer to him, stroking his hair as he all but trembled under her fingers. She didn't speak, she didn't tell him things were going to be all right; because she'd seen this sort of behavior before. Not from Ben, but from foster kids who'd been taken from abusive homes. She'd slept in front of a door more than once, providing an obstacle for the person they feared would return. 

Arya let out another chirp, before she started to purr, clearly trying to soothe the person between them. 

“Never _this_ room.” Ben muttered again, and Rey felt her own tears start to fall.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Come say 'hi' on Tumblr @soldierofhalla17.
> 
> Kudos and comments are love.


	16. Friday's Child

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Friday's Child is loving and giving - Rey sets to work to help Ben with his panic attack - and, before the day is over, both she and Leia will learn the ugly truth about just what happened between Ben and Bazine Natal.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Possible Trigger - allusions to date rape

Rey estimated that she sat maybe ten, fifteen minutes next to Ben, with him not even acknowledging her presence before she knew she needed to do something. She needed help with this situation; and hadn't the two of them talked about this? True, they'd not gone over all their triggers, but this was clearly something he hadn't planned on happening; there was bound to be something they had both forgotten to bring up. She stroked his sweat dampened forehead, and gave him her bravest smile. “I'm going to run to the bathroom, and then I'll be right back, okay?” 

Ben blinked, and gave the tiniest hint of a nod, before he closed his eyes and pressed his face into Arya, who let out a low chirp, then started to purr again.

She stood up from the futon, grabbed her cell off of the table and went into the living room, shutting the door partway as she left. “Calm, stay calm.” She went into the kitchen and scanned the list of emergency contacts, and silently thanked their decision to print out the list, given what their handwriting looked like. She had no idea what Leia had said to her son, but right now, she felt like she could throttle the woman just on concept. She dialed Doctor Andres's number, hoping that he was still in the office. It was only four thirty – he should be. She had no idea what she was going to do if he was gone.

One ring.

Two rings.

Three rings.

“Please.” She squeezed her eyes shut, hoping that she wasn't about to get a recording. 

Click.

“Doctor Anton Andres, how may I help you?” The man's voice was placid and even, and reminded Rey of one of her professors.

“Hi, my name's Rey Kenobi, I'm Ben Solo's roommate.” She took a gulping breath. “I don't know what happened, or what set him off – he's having a panic attack. It...”

“Just breathe, Miss Kenobi. One deep breath, then another.” His tone was exactly what she needed and she did as he instructed. “Do you know what happened?”

“No. Well, his mother called.” She took one of the deep breaths before he could tell her to. “And I don't know how much longer it was between him answering and him coming into the back bedroom. He just curled up on the futon and keeps saying the same phrase over and over.” She went across the room towards the bathroom and went inside, shutting the door behind her. 

The man was silent for a moment, and then cleared his throat. “Has anything else that could be seen as stressful happened to him since now and when he left my office yesterday afternoon?”

Rey rolled her eyes. “His father showed up, his sister's aunt called him, and like some damn idiot, he agreed to have lunch with his sister, his dad, and Diana's aunt tomorrow afternoon.”

“Shit.” The man muttered and then his professional demeanor was back. “I'm going to give you some instructions, Miss Kenobi, and you're going to need to do them exactly as I say, understood?”

She nodded, sitting on the lip of the tub, her free hand forming into a fist. “Understood.” 

“When you get off the phone with me, call Ben's grandmother. Tell her code olive. She'll know what that means. If you have plans for tomorrow, you should cancel them. Depending on how Ben feels this time tomorrow, you may need to cancel plans on Saturday. He's not scheduled to work this weekend is, he?”

“He's not supposed to work until Tuesday, I believe. Classes don't start until the ninth.” She rubbed her forehead, already hating how long she'd been out of her studio, leaving Ben alone. “Should I call his work as well?”

“Not just yet.” He coughed. “Excuse me. If someone wants to know why you or he won't be where you've planned tomorrow, tell them Ben has food poisoning.” 

There was something about that term that made Rey think it was a code phrase. “Sure. Not a problem.” 

“Great. After that, all you need to do is make sure Ben stays warm, and that he stays hydrated. Don't force him to eat or tell him he should move.” He let out a sound that might have been a sigh. “If he wants to eat, let him. You can ask him if he wants something, but if it he says no, honor it. If his condition doesn't change in an hour, I want you to call me again.” 

“Right now, I'd just be good with him realizing I'm sitting there.” She grimaced, wondering if what she just said sounded as bad as she imagined. 

“I understand that, Miss Kenobi. Now, I want you repeat back to me what I told you to do, and then go and do it. All right?” The man's voice sounded tense. “Please.” 

She did as asked, although she had a feeling that whatever 'code olive' meant, it wasn't anything good. Come to think of it, she'd never even seen Ben eat olives. Maybe that was the point. After she was finished, there was a pause, and she wondered if she should just hang up, but then the man spoke again.

“All right. If Ben's condition does not change by tomorrow morning, call me again.” There was a scribbling sound. “Keep him warm, keep him hydrated, and if he wants to sleep, let him.” 

“Yes, Doctor Andres. Thank you.” She swallowed. “Good bye.” She clicked off and switched to her own contacts, scrolling through them until she reached Miss Padme's, and hit the call button, grateful that they were in the same time zone – and that the woman didn't take naps. 

One ring.

Two rings.

“Hello? Rey?” Miss Padme sounded surprised, and in the background, she could hear laughter. “Don't tell me...” 

“Code olive.” Rey said it so quickly, she was certain the woman couldn't have understood her.

“Did you say code olive, Rey?” Her light demeanor gone. 

“Yes.” She stood and headed out of the bathroom, heading back for the kitchen.

“Keep Benny warm and hydrated, and don't worry.” The tone let Rey know that this wasn't the first time someone had called her and given that phrase to her. “Okay?”

“Okay. I have a few more calls to make.” She opened the fridge and took out a bottle of water.

“Of course, sweetie.” Rey had the image of the woman sitting in the Skywalker home, remaining poised while the rest of the family stared at her, wondering what the hell was going on. “And if I don't speak to you, have a happy new year.” 

“Happy new year, Miss Padme, tell everyone else the same.” She heard the woman end the call and stared at her own phone for a moment, then heard a jangling from Ben's office. “What the?” She went into the room and found his phone lying on the floor from where he must have dropped it. Frowning, she picked it up and, without looking at the caller-ID, answered it. “Hello?”

“You're still answering Ben's phone?” A man's voice answered her and Rey had to compose herself from screaming. 

“I'm afraid Ben can't come to the phone right now, he's puking his guts out, Mr. Solo. I think he has food poisoning.” She cleared her throat. “I don't think he'll be in shape to come to lunch tomorrow.” 

“I'd like to speak to him myself, thank you.” The man reminded him of her pre-calculus teacher from high school who once gave a classmate hell for not showing his work on his problems.

“Well, he's driving the porcelain bus and is in no condition to talk to anyone, even the cat.” she ended the call, glowering at the phone. “Asshole.” When it started to ring again, she pointedly ignored it, and went into Ben's room and put it on the charger. “I'll call the Phasmas in the morning.” She went into her room and retrieved her own phone's charger, the book on top of her dresser, and then grabbed the bottle of water from where she'd left it on the dining room tables before returning to the studio.

Ben hadn't moved at all since she'd walked out of the room, not ten minutes ago, remaining perfectly motionless on the futon. Remaining perfectly straight faced, she put her phone to charge, placed the bottle of water next to the futon before she sat down at the foot and set the book down next to her, and her phone on the wide sill at her side. “Sorry, that took a little longer than I expected.”

“What?” His voice shuddered and she stroked his hair as Arya gave off a slight chirp and scurried out of the room, and judging from the sound of her collar, had gone into the kitchen. “Arya?”

Rey let out a breath, “I think she had to use the litter-box.” She folded her legs so his head was more or less in her lap, and she smoothed her fingers down his forehead, watching as his eyes started to drift closed. Taking a breath, she picked up the book and opened it to the beginning and cleared her throat before she started to read. “Chapter One, the Boy Who Lived. Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, of number four, Privet Drive, were proud to say they were perfectly normal, thank you very much.” She glanced down and saw Ben smile just a fraction before there was a soft chirp and Arya returned, burrowing herself back into place. 

She continued to read as the shadows in the room started to grow long and the sky outside began to darken.

**

Padme had excused herself from the living room to sit on Anna's bed as she scrolled through her contacts, and was about to hit the number for Gwen Phasma when it went off, startling her and she was more surprised to see that it was Leia calling her than she was anything else. “What in the world?” She composed herself, hoping this conversation would be brief. “Four conversations with you in a week, Leia? I don't think we've had that since Ben was in grade school.” 

“Momma?” That name and that tone instantly caused her to straighten up; that was her baby girl's scared voice. “Momma?” 

“I'm here, honey, what's wrong? You're not sick, are you?” She tried to think what could have possibly gone wrong for Leia to be speaking in that manner.

“Momma, I think I did something terrible.” She gulped, and then coughed; the sound of trying to regain her composure. “It's... well...”

“Are you sick?” She'd ask the questions – it'd be easier.

“No, I'm... I'm good.” She coughed. “Someone broke into the house yesterday. I don't know how...”

“Oh honey, are you hurt?” Panic crept into the corners of her mind and she saw Daisy standing by the door. “Go get your father.” The girl nodded and vanished. 

“No, no I'm...” She coughed. “I'm good, I just... I think I said something to Ben that upset him.” 

“Why on earth would you think that?” Padme was starting to wish that her daughter hadn't inherited her father's manner of skirting around an issue rather than just saying it outright. She was more than willing to bet that it had been Ben's father, rather than his mother, that was responsible for the panic attack he was currently having. “You're not moving to Chicago, or, Heaven forbid, reconciling with Han, are you?”

“No.” She chuckled weakly. “I'm going to spend my Friday filing papers for the divorce and just have that over and done with.” She sighed. “The woman who broke into my house was Ben's ex-girlfriend. Her name was Bazine, right?”

“Oh, fuck.” The phrase just fell out of her mouth and Padme heard her daughter's sharp intake of breath.

“I don't even know what that's about, Mother, but now I'm starting to wish I _had_ shot her twice.” Leia coughed. “I just...”

“Did you kill her?” She stood up from the bed just as Luke came into the room. “Or at least, severely injure her?”

“What's going on?” Her son shut the door behind him tightly. “Mom...”

She pulled the phone down to address him. “That bitch Ben dated broke into Leia's house and your sister shot her.” 

Luke stared at her like she had grown another head. “Do you realize how little of that sentence makes sense?” 

Padme shook her head and transferred her phone to speaker. “Honey, if you're not sitting down, you need to do so. Then you are going to tell me and your brother what happened.” 

“But Ben...” Leia started, and her voice cracked.

“Rey is taking care of Ben as we speak. If she needs help, she knows who to call.” She took a deep breath, trying to process what could have possibly happened in Buffalo. None of this made sense. Why would Bazine break into her daughter's house? 

“It's okay, sis.” Luke interjected. “Are you okay?”

“I'm fine, I'm just... I'm just...” She took a breath. “Let me just get all of this off my chest, that will probably help.” 

Padme sat back down on the bed and her son leaned against the door, his arms folded. “We won't interrupt you, Leia.”

There was a heavy sigh on the other end of the line. “I'm not certain how Bazine got into the house in the first place, unless it was while the movers were here...”

*

Diana hugged her bear to her chest, staring up at the ceiling as she willed herself not to cry. Just when she had something to look forward to, something she'd wanted for years, Ben was sick and now the plans were canceled. She knew it wasn't her brother's fault, and that they would have to reschedule lunch. Well, at least when they finally did meet, Dad wouldn't be there. She was more mad at him than she was at her brother getting sick. Ben couldn't help it. People got sick. Dad on the other hand was a grown-up. Well, technically so was her brother, but he was an older adult.

Dad should have figured out how to do things in the best interest of her and her mom and for Ben and his mom a long time ago. It couldn't have been too difficult. 

“Diana, do you want some dinner?” Aunt Amelia's voice called from the doorway.

“No, thank you.” She bit at her bottom lip. “It isn't fair.” She heard the woman approach and sit at the foot of her bed. “I know, I shouldn't whine...”

“I know it's not fair, honey.” She squeezed her ankle, and she sighed. “The plans were very last minute, and I know that sounds like a terrible excuse.” 

She swung herself up to a sit. “I just...” She hugged her bear tighter. “I want my mom.” She managed a half smile. “At least I don't have to see Dad tomorrow. I'm still mad at him.” 

Aunt Amelia returned the smile. “I actually think that might be good for your father. He may have realized that he's dug himself into a pit, but not one of you, neither you or your brother, your mom or Ben's are going to get him out of it.” She took a breath. “Well, hopefully Ben will be feeling better by Saturday and maybe we'll run into him at the Institute.” 

Diana let herself smile. She actually was looking forward to going to the art museum. “I still don't feel like eating.” 

“It's okay.” Her aunt gave her a hug. “If you change your mind, you know what room we keep the food in.” 

“The living room?” She quipped, grinning.

“How did you find out about the hidden snack closet?” Aunt Amelia chuckled as she stood and walked back to the door. “just don't stay up too late, all right?”

“Okay.” She let her shoulders slump as her aunt left and shut the door. “Maybe I should work on my English for a little while. I don't know enough adjectives to properly describe how I feel.” 

*

What brought Ben back to consciousness more than anything was the smell of something sweet and spicy. He didn't entirely remember falling asleep; but as he lay there, he slowly took stock of what he did know. Talking with his mother, coming into Rey's studio, shivering, someone reading _Harry Potter_ and then nothing. He let out a slow breath, the smell becoming more tantalizing as he lay there, the sheet under his cheek warm and he grimaced as he knew he couldn't stretch out on the futon. He hadn't slept on the futon in years. There was soft clink in front of him, and his stomach rumbled, and then there was a thunk. 

“Ben?” Rey's voice sounded far away, but he knew she wasn't – and a moment later he felt her hand on his head. “Ben, are you awake?” 

“Nnn.” He groaned and stretched, the popping of joints sounding twice as loud as they should. “Dinner time already?” 

“Well, you've had a two and a half hour nap.” He opened his eyes to see her looking down at him. “You feel like eating?” 

That seemed like a rather loaded question in Ben's mind. While he was hungry, and knew he should eat, there was also the risk of another bout of panic and his dinner ending up outside of his stomach rather than in it. He pushed himself up into a sit and ran a hand through his hair. “You cooked the rice?”

“I can cook if I have the instructions.” She made a face at him. “Arya certainly wasn't offering to help prepare dinner. She never does.” She handed him a bottle of water. “Then again, if we let her cook, there would be hair in the food.” 

“Point.” He took the water and opened it, taking several gulps as she rubbed his back. He lowered the bottle just as the cat in question came into the room, chirping rather loudly as she jumped up next to him, pushing her head against his side. “I'm okay, Little Miss.” He set his free hand on her and turned towards Rey, who had the most skeptical look on her face. “I'm sorry if I freaked you out.”

“I'm just glad you're coherent.” She kissed his temple. “You stay put, I'll bring you a bowl – more rice than chicken, all right?”

He took another swig of water. “I can get myself dinner.” 

“I know you can. Just think of it as dinner in bed, since I technically haven't reciprocated your gesture from a few weeks ago.” She stood and walked out of the room.

He watched her go, knowing better than to try and put up an argument. Despite the nap, he was too tired to even make the attempt. He took another sip of water, then looked down at Arya, who stretched out next to him, her tail swishing slowly. “Guess we had another bad spell, huh, Little Miss?”

In reply, Arya blinked slowly at him and chirped.

“Yeah.” He screwed the lid on the bottle of water on tightly before setting it down. The whole incident of how he ended up in Rey's studio was starting to become a little clearer, but the panic didn't overtake him; he was too emotionally exhausted, he supposed. He looked up as Rey came back into the room, carrying a bowl and held it out it to him. “Thanks.” 

“You're welcome.” She went over to the table and retrieved her own dinner, giving him a smile. 

He looked down into the bowl of rice and what he guessed to be one serving spoon full of orange chicken and vegetables, smiling as he mixed it up slowly. He didn't really want to eat; but he knew he should. He'd eat his dinner, wash the dishes and then go to bed. Sleep was about the only thing he could think of doing with any sort of enthusiasm. “Did you talk to Doctor Andres?” He glanced up at her.

“I did.” She poked at her own meal. “Under his orders, I canceled lunch tomorrow.” She shot him a glance, her face pensive.

“That's fine.” He looked back down. “I shouldn't have agreed to it in the first place.” He ate a forkful of rice. 

“We've just crammed half a year's worth of trauma into five days, I think a day doing nothing would work wonders.” She cleared her throat. “We haven't gotten our pajama day, and we can't do that Saturday because your things are arriving.” He looked up in time to meet her eyes. “How are you going to arrange your books?”

A safe subject if there ever was one. “Well, the series have to be together and be in chronological order. I'll have to look up the list so I know how to arrange _Redwall._ Unless Nate and Jen put them in a row in one of the boxes.” He saw her confused look. “You never read it?”

“I've read a few, but since they weren't written in order, so characters I loved in one book were gone or old in another.” she poked at her food, “so it was confusing and a little disappointing. Does that make sense?”

“That I can understand. In one book, there's a badass squirrel or mouse, and the next time you see him or her, they're old and just there to give sage advice.” He speared a piece of chicken with his fork. “Have you thought of starting a book collection?”

“I never really had the chance.” She stood and came over to sit next to him, and he could see her bowl was half-finished. “I just had a handful, and since I never knew when I'd have to move, there wasn't a point. I didn't want to get attached and then lose it.” She nodded towards the table, where Ben could see a battered copy of _Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone_. “Besides, there was always the library if I wanted to read something new. Thank the Houston Public Library's forty-eight connected branches.”

“That alone sounds like a good reason to live in Houston.” He chuckled, wincing as his joints popped. “Although I'm a little wary of hurricanes.” He ate a little more rice. “If you're interested, I know where there's a good second-hand bookstore, if you'd like to go there sometime.”

“Maybe. Do they have art books?” She spoke more at her meal than him.

“Yeah. Although the only one I ever picked up is the one I have on Vermeer, because finding a book on his art is almost exactly like trying to find his art.” He got a forkful of rice. “Well, that one and the book I have on the Gander Art Heist.” 

Rey shuddered. “I get mad all over again when I think about that. I just hope whomever took those masterpieces didn't destroy them. I'd rather think of them being in some drug mafia's mansion in South America than thrown into a fire.” 

Ben frowned and lifted his head, looking across the room towards the far wall, where one of those magic-eye pictures that he'd never gotten was hanging. His mind wasn't on that, or even his panic attack, or even dinner. It was one of those rare moments he'd had in his life – and didn't know anyone else had happen, until he read about J.K. Rowling and how Harry just walked into her head. He'd only had it happen once, and that was with a knight named Kylo Ren, who'd sat down on the couch and put his boots on the coffee table. Now, a second person had chosen to do so, and was leaning against the wall, smirking at him. Not a cruel, vindictive expression, but one that was pure mischief crossed with gumption – and he half expected her to jump on the table and tell him to get to work, but knew better.

“Ben?” 

He snapped out his thoughts and turned to look at Rey. “Sorry.” He ducked his head. “Mind wandering.” He ate a little more of his dinner. Although the rich, sweet smell of their meal still hung in the air, it just seemed dull and filling to him, and he almost wished he'd had a bowl of cereal instead. He stirred the mixture a little more. “Good job on the rice.”

“Thanks.” She replied, and then gently took the bowl from him, and he didn't protest. “You don't have to eat it all. You want to go lie down again?” She put her dish next to his, smoothing his hair away from his face. 

He reached for the bottle of water and drank a little more. “Yeah.” Just getting into bed and staying there for a while sounded wonderful. “I should help you with the dishes.” 

“I can clean two bowls, two forks, a serving spoon and a pot. I already turned the crock pot off and I know not to put into the fridge until it's almost completely cooled down.” She gave him a one armed hug. “You just go brush your teeth, find your pajamas and settle in.” She looked around him for a moment. “Arya, you have your third meal at what, ten?”

“About that.” Ben answered, managing a smile. “Half a cup of kibble, make sure her water dish is full.” He reached down and rubbed his cat behind her ears. 

“I know.” She kissed his cheek, then pressed her forehead against his. “Take your time, there's no rush.” She stood up and retrieved their bowls, and gave him another smile before she left the room, leaving him alone. 

He let out a deep breath as Arya stood, resting her front legs on his thigh, and she let out a soft chirp. “I know, Little Miss. How'd we get so lucky to have Rey here?”

*

Leia broke off the end of the roll of masking tape with a flourish and sealed the next to last box, and sat back on her heels. After talking with her mother and brother, she knew she wouldn't be able to sleep any easier than she had last night. Rather than lay in bed and do nothing, she decided to finish packing up the living room. She looked at the box in front of her that held the Christmas ornaments from the trunk and several knickknacks. The colored lights she was going to drop off to be recycled in a few days. She marked the box 'FRAGILE' and pushed it towards the other boxes she'd filled, marveling at just how much room there was in the living room now that the only furniture in it was the old chest, the overstuffed couch, and two side tables.

“How did I ever think living in all this space was okay?” She lifted the lid of the chest, confirming that it was completely empty. “I should move the stuff from the linen closet into here. It's big enough and I won't need any of it between now and the middle of January.” She left the lid up as she turned and went upstairs, stopping when she reached Ben's room and saw the long stain on the door and the evidence tag that was still stuck to the wood. “I wish I'd killed you.” She spat and stepped into the room to get the comforter off the foot-board of the bed. 

*

Rey checked the locks on the door one last time before turning out the lights and going quietly into Ben's room, going by feel around the bed to her side and slipping under the covers. She had left a fresh bottle of water on his bedside table a little after eight, when she'd come in here and found him snoring. He was silent now, his breathing even as she settled into bed, wrapping her arm around his waist and pressing her face between his shoulder blades. Next to her, she felt and heard him take a deep breath and it was on the tip of her tongue to tell him to go to sleep when his hand came up and squeezed hers. “I thought I told you to rest.”

“I am resting.” He mumbled, then coughed. “I didn't scare you earlier, did I?” He turned over, looking into her eyes, his hand coming up and touching her cheek. 

She closed her eyes at his touch. “A little. Then I remembered that we'd discussed what I'd have to do if you had such an attack.” She kissed the ball of his thumb before opening her eyes again. “Is it me, or does Doctor Andres sound like some of the professors at school?”

“I tend to think he sounds like a younger version of my granddad Bail.” His expression softened. “Unflappable and patient.” He rolled over onto his back, pulling a throw pillow from under the covers and hugging it to himself. “My ex-girlfriend broke into my mother's house yesterday. They don't know how she got inside, my mom thinks it might have been while the movers were there.” He swallowed. “My mom shot her. I didn't even know my mom had a gun, let alone knew how to fire one.” He let out a mirthless laugh. “Then again, I do remember her being a die-hard Jack Bauer fan.” 

Rey reached over and smoothed a hand down his cheek. She knew that the subject of Bazine Natal was about as welcome in this apartment as Armitage Hux. “Is your mom okay?”

“Yeah, little keyed up, but who wouldn't be?” He swallowed again. “Bazine had a gun too. I don't want to think about...” He shuddered. “She'd been in the house the same time as Jen. Jen was alone in the house with that bitch and I don't want to think what could have happened to her.” 

“Ben...” She sat up, setting her hand on his shoulder. “We don't have to talk about this right now. Not if you don't want to.” 

He closed his eyes, and she could feel the slight tremor pass through him. “I don't know what I was thinking when I started dating her. Maybe I wasn't. We all do stupid things, but she was by far and away, the worst of my mistakes.” 

Rey bit at her bottom lip, not entirely certain how to proceed; but little things she'd passed off as quirks were starting to add up. When she'd first walked into her studio, six weeks ago, it was the only room that hadn't smelled of Febreeze. This afternoon, he'd called it the good room. In her mind, it didn't make sense for anyone to be cruel or hurt someone as kindhearted as Ben – but then, there were always people eager to exploit such goodness. “She didn't live here, did she?”

“No.” He let out a shuddering breath. “No, thank God she didn't. She lived with some friends, and I'll use that term loosely, in a house off of North Avenue. She tended a bar that was frequented by students from De Paul. I would go with classmates to be a designated driver.” He shivered and she laid back down, pulling him into her arms so his head was resting on her chest. “I don't know why she picked me. Maybe she thought I was some over-privileged brat who she could take advantage of financially, among other things.” 

“I know that type.” she smoothed his hair down, listening to him breathe. “I knew a few in high school.” 

“Yeah. Maybe I was just so blind to the truth of her because I'd never had someone take a second look at me before.” He sighed. “I know, that sounds pathetic.” 

“You don't fit the conventional idea of beauty, and let's be honest, most people can be superficial little shits from time to time.” She grimaced. “I know I wasn't the nicest person to guys I went to high school with, but that's because I was far to worried about messing up my living situation that I couldn't take risks.” 

“Add in being socially awkward, and that just adds to it.” He rubbed his cheek against her. “It didn't take Bazine long to figure out that I wasn't exactly the cash cow she thought I was. Now, if she'd been the decent sort of gold-digger, she'd have just dumped me and that would have been that.” 

Rey had pointedly avoided the subject of money with Ben. She didn't ask him how he paid for school, for necessities, and rent. When she'd first moved in here, not knowing his family situation, she'd thought he'd been some sort of trust fund kid. Maybe he still was, but the money in question was to be used solely for education. “But she found other things she could get from you.” 

“Yeah.” She could feel him tremble slightly. “It's one of the reasons I don't drink hard liquor of any kind. Bazine knew I was too trusting, and she knew I'd never press charges. Who would people believe, the five foot four hundred and ten pound female who could carry off some truly Oscar worthy performances; or the six-foot three two hundred pound guy who hadn't even been able to punch the biggest asshole in his class dead in the face when he desperately needed to be.”

She felt the color drain from her face as she took his words in. Much to her own horror, she found that he'd spoken the truth – if she was on the outside looking in, she wouldn't believe a word of it. Even though she knew guys could get raped, it didn't seem possible that it would happen to someone like Ben. “Who else knows about this?”

“Doctor Andres, the Phasmas, Grandma, Uncle Luke, and I'm willing to bet that now my mom knows as well.” He cursed softly. “I'm sorry.”

“You have nothing to be sorry for.” She tightened her grip on him, kissing the top of his head. “Now I know why Gwen said it was okay to chuck her down the garbage chute.” 

“Yeah. If Gwen finds out about this, she's probably going to be mad at my mother all over again for not killing her.” He let out a weak laugh, and his body slowly unclenched. “I don't want to talk anymore.”

“That's fine.” She rubbed his back. “You want to try and get some sleep?”

“Not ready just yet.” He blinked. “I'll be fine if you do, however.”

“Nonsense.” Rey pushed herself into a sit and he moved as she turned the light on, already knowing what she was going to do. “I'll be right back.” She got out of bed and walked out the room, heading back to her studio where she'd left her book and hurried back, the floor cold under her bare feet. When she returned to Ben's room, he was sitting up, taking a drink from his water bottle. “Here we are.” She got back into bed and propped herself up against the headboard. “Make yourself comfortable.” 

Ben gave her a wan smile as he turned out his light and tucked his chin against his pillow, hugging the throw against him. “I can't promise I won't fall asleep again.”

“That's fine.” She reached out and stroked his hair before opening the book, smiling at the worn pages. “Let's see, where were we... ah yes.” She cleared her throat. “Chapter Two, The Vanishing Glass.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kudos and Comments are my bread and butter. 
> 
> Come say hi on Tumblr @soldierofhalla17


	17. New Year's Eve: Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ben's things arrive from Buffalo, Leia decides to attend the Quirk's party and Rey makes a change.

Ben yawned and rubbed his eyes, then glanced back behind him at Rey's sleeping form. They had spent almost all of Friday lounging around the apartment, in pajama pants and sweatshirts, doing absolutely nothing that could be considered stressful. They had done what he had always called 'light' cleaning, which was usually meant picking things up, just making things look neat. They had taken down and put away the Christmas Tree and the decorations, tucking the containers in their place on the far side of his office. 

Only Rey had left their place at around two to gather up their mail, and had returned with the past two days worth that included a box from Texas – Mrs. Dameron had sent her a portion of their family's Christmas Eve tamales, and they had eaten all six of them for dinner last night. Having never had homemade tamales before, he thought they were amazing – and was half-tempted to see if he could get the recipe. “It's probably as well guarded as Aunt Mara's meatloaf.” He mumbled and he heard Rey groan behind him. “You don't have to get up yet.”

“I'm awake but I'm too comfortable right now to get up.” She sighed and he felt her hand on his arm. “What time is it?”

“Quarter to seven.” He ran a hand through his hair. “Truck is supposed to be here around eleven.” He chuckled. “Is it stupid that I'm kind of giddy about that?”

“You've missed your books.” She used a bit of a simper in her voice, and he resisted the urge to start tickling her. “Although I will admit, I've been trying to think what all you could possibly have after you told me the other day you had over four hundred books in your collection.”

He coughed, trying to remember the same. “That's actually a good question, since the last time I weeded anything was when I was around thirteen – but I still have some picture books from when I was little. Grandma Solo, who died when I was nine, always gave me Caldecott Award winners, sometimes five at a time as a joint birthday-Christmas gift.” He closed his eyes, trying to picture the bookshelves that had flanked his closet door in Buffalo. “There's also the chunk of books I inherited with Grandad died.” He opened his eyes as he felt her hug him from behind and he took one of her hands in his and kissed it. “I can't promise I won't get all – weird about them.” 

“I think it's allowed, considering how long it's been since you've seen them.” She kissed his cheek, smiling. “When was the last time you played a piano?, since I understand that's arriving too.” 

He grinned, a little more awake. “Uh, I played one the hospital had a few times for physical therapy, so I'll say – back in August. Why, would you like me to teach you?” He paused, thinking of something else. “I don't even know if the thing will be in tune or not.” 

“Does your mother play?” She slid over to sit next to him, resting her head on his shoulder. 

“Yeah.” His mom had been the one to send him to lessons in the first place. “It's just an upright, so it's not that big.” He took a breath and was about to ask her if she wanted some coffee when Arya appeared in the doorway and chirped. “Ah, someone wants her breakfast.” He stood and followed the cat into the kitchen, and he heard Rey get out of bed behind him. “All right, Little Miss, no need to get excited.” He picked up her bowl and went over to the pantry. “I fed you on time all day yesterday, did you really think you'd not get fed today?” 

Arya let out a chirp as he set the bowl back down before diving into her meal.

“Yeah, yeah. I know.” Ben shut the pantry door as Rey hit the heat button on the coffee pot. “You feeling all right?”

“Cramps.” She mumbled, looking sour, running a hand through her hair. “I never know if it's annoying or good when my cycle decides to change.” She gave him a look. “I'm blaming Anna.” She wrinkled her nose. “Daisy's too young for all that, isn't she?”

He snorted. “I don't think that's a conversation I want to have with any of my girl cousins, or my sister, for that matter.” He came down towards Rey and kissed the top of her head. “It's not that it grosses me out completely, I just figure it's none of my business. The closest I ever had to a discussion about the subject was when I was seventeen and my mom kept asking me if it was hot, or if was just her.” 

Rey smirked at him as she put her coffee mug in place. “You must have been a lot of fun in your chick-lit classes.”

“I wasn't the only guy in that class.” He leaned against the counter, rubbing the back of his neck. “Though I might have been the only straight one.” He closed his eyes and felt Rey's arms wrap around his waist and he hugged her back, kissing the top of her head. “if you want to go back to bed, it's fine.”

“Nah, we'll take a nap this afternoon before we go out. You sure you're okay with going tonight?” she said more to his side than to anything.

He took a breath, held it, and then let go; while a part of him wanted to just stay in, tonight was something he had always looked forward to about the holidays. “It'll be great.”

Rey untangled herself from him and he opened his eyes as she took up her coffee mug. “I'll be awesome as long as the painkillers keep working.” She shuffled past so he could make his own cup. “Also, calling dibs on the first shower.”

He dropped a pod into the machine. “That's fine. You have more hair to wash than I do.” He shot her a grin. “And more to shave.” 

She made a face at him over the rim of her mug. “Speaking of, you going to shave off that goatee thing you have going on there?” She reached out and brushed his chin as she took a drink.

He wrinkled his nose to look down his face, just able to make out the scruff on his chin. “I hadn't decided, what do you think?” He put his mug in place and grabbed the frying pan from the drying rack next to the sink, using the silver surface as a mirror. “Can't really tell in this.”

“It makes you look closer to your age.” She grimaced and turned from him as he put the pan back. “I'm going to go sit on the couch.” 

“Sure.” He replied, covering a yawn as his cup started to fill. He felt Arya rub against his ankles, chirping softly. “Speaking of, you're going to have to stay in one room when the movers come in.” He chuckled. “Not that I'm worried you'd run away, I just don't want anyone tripping over you.” 

*

Rey sat on her bed, frowning into her closet as she heard the movers in the other room. She almost felt like she was cat-sitting, as Arya was in the room with her, chirping rather indignantly at the door as there came a series of thumps, and heavy footfalls. Poor cat was probably mad with curiosity, wanting to know why she had to stay in here instead of investigating as was her wont. She leaned back on her arms just as the cat returned to the bed, jumping onto it and curling up at the foot. “Yeah, you'd be howling if we'd just shut you in the bathroom, wouldn't you?”

In reply, Arya chirped and rolled over onto her back.

“I didn't think I'd ever have this problem.” She slid off the bed and crossed the room, her fingers running down the sleeve of one of her shirts. A few weeks ago, Gwen had taken her for what had originally been Christmas gift shopping, only to discover they had walked into the middle of a clearance sale and with some things almost eighty percent off, she'd found a little more than what she had in mind. One minute she'd been trying on a pair of jeans in the dressing room, and then the older woman had started lying one thing after another over the top of the door. While a part of her had been annoyed, there was something rather sweet about the whole thing.

The sort of mother-daughter shopping trips her classmates had gone on and she'd heard about, envious of their fortune and wanting to punch several of them when they talked about how irritating it was that their mothers had ideas about what they should be wearing. Rey wondered if those girls had any idea just how damn lucky they were. 

“I actually don't know what I should wear.” She flipped through several of the garments, able to dismiss them as they were clearly summer-wear, and she stopped at the dark blue velvet dress that Gwen had absolutely _insisted_ she had to have, when Rey had no idea what the hell she'd wear it to – and while the woman hadn't said as much, she merely asked Rey if she knew what she was wearing on New Year's Eve. “Well, why not?” She pulled the dress down and turned the hangar so she could put it on the door, and she smoothed the skirt of it down. 

There was a rather jarring clang on the other side of the front wall and Arya bolted under the bed as she heard someone curse loudly.

“It's all right.” Ben answered. “I can move it on my own.” 

“Sounds like they're almost finished out there.” She went and crouched down next to the bed, lifting the dust ruffle. “Ah ha! I have found your hidden stash of toys, young lady!” She cried as she saw all seven colorful balls that Arya seemed to make appear and disappear at will. There was also a pair of panties that Rey was certain that the washer had eaten weeks ago. She reached under the bed and grabbed them before standing up and tossing them into hamper, just as one of the balls shot out and Arya chased after it. 

A moment later, there was a knock on the door and she went over to it, opening it a crack. “Movers gone?”

“Movers gone.” Ben answered and she opened the door wider, and before Rey could walk through it, Arya raced out into the apartment, heading straight for the kitchen. “Someone must be thirsty.”

“Maybe.” She followed him back into the living room where the containers were, and she frowned when she saw that where the Christmas Tree had been yesterday, there was now a rocking chair. A rather familiar looking one. “Wasn't there a chair exactly like that one at your uncle's house?” She walked over to it, positive she wasn't imagining things.

“Yeah.” He chuckled. “Grandpa Anakin made both of them before my mom and uncle were born. Two kids, two chairs.” 

She moved it slowly with her hand, this one was decidedly less worn looking than the one at Luke's. “So he made two chairs so both he and Miss Padme could rock your mom and uncle to sleep at the same time.” She thought for a moment. “Was there anything Anakin Skywalker _couldn't_ do?”

“According to grandma, he couldn't cook, couldn't carry a tune, and occasionally suffered the inability to know when to shut up.” He shrugged as Arya sprang into the chair. “Oh, you think that's yours, do you?”

“She thinks everything is hers.” Rey snickered and walked over to the crates. “And I'm guessing that when your mom and uncle were born, they didn't know if it was two boys, two girls, or what?”

Ben gave her a look. “Sonograms are kind of a new thing in the history of mankind. The doctor told my grandparents there were two heartbeats. They were certain it was at least two. For all of the doctors knew, there could have been three babies. To prepare, they just asked for double of everything in yellow, green and lavender and waited.” 

She laughed. “It's hard to think about either of them being babies.” She wrinkled her nose. “It's hard to think about us being babies.” She tapped the lid of the box next to her, suddenly feeling sheepish. She also wanted to get off the subject of babies. “Can we start opening these?” 

“Sure.” He came over to her after checking the locks on the front door and lifted the one she was next to. “That's definitely _not_ books.” He pulled the lid off of it and she looked down into the container and all she could see were what looked to be a row of picture frames, wooden plaques, and a bright blue flag stuffed against the side. “Oh this is going to be embarrassing.” He covered his face.

“Why?” Rey reached into the box and drew out one of the frames, and scanned the certificate within. “Of course you're an Eagle Scout.” She grinned. “Don't be like that.” She reached out and touched his arm. “Poe's one too. Finn and I went to the ceremony, although we were sort of lost for most of it.” She set the frame down on the table as Ben pulled out one of the plaques. “What's that?”

He turned it towards her, looking slightly abashed. “Something you probably didn't see in my yearbook, because I know it was only glossed over.” 

Rey narrowed her eyes at him, glancing at the award and then back at him. “You have a first place at state in duet, from the state of _New York_ , which means you probably beat out some kids from a Julliard feeder school, and you never mentioned it?” She seethed. “Who the hell were you singing with? And what did you two sing?”

He took the plaque from her, rolling his eyes. “Who do you think I was singing that duet with?” He set it on the table. “And as to what we sang, what else would a girl who could hit an F over high C and a guy who can go from the basement to the choir loft sing in a high school duet competition full of theater junkies?” 

She wrinkled her nose, figuring out the answer to both of her questions in that instant; Jen, and the title song from _The Phantom of the Opera_. “Tell me you have a recording of that, or I'm calling Jen and asking her if she does.” 

He went slightly pink. “Yes. I have a recording, and no, I don't know if Jen can still hit that note. She probably can.” He shook his head and looked back into the box, taking out the blue fabric and walked towards his office. “Thank you Nate, for actually folding my Cubs flag and not stuffing it into a corner.” 

*

Leia knew she spent more time deciding to go or not go to the Quirk's party than she did getting ready for it. While on one hand, going to it would seem too little too late, not going meant just confirming that she was a complete and totally heartless bitch. She adjusted her hold on the casserole dish, the cold air stinging against her cheeks as she walked up the drive, knowing she was about ten minutes early, but the only car she recognized in the drive was the one that Nate had been using; the Turabians were already here. “Oh shit.” She stopped still when she realized who else might be on this invite list. “Stay calm, stay calm.” She took a deep breath and started back up the drive, the heels of her shoes suddenly sounding twice as loud. “At least I'll be able to honestly answer when they ask what Ben's been up to.” 

She stepped up onto the small porch and rang the bell, and she could hear laughter coming from within. She straightened her shoulders as the door swung open and the youngest of the Quirk children, Andrew, stood there, gaping. “Happy New Year, Andrew.” 

“Hi, Ms. Organa.” He looked stunned as he held open the glass door for her. “Um, is that a Slytherin House scarf?” 

Leia came into the house, managing to keep her smile, looking down at the gray and green stripped scarf. “Yes it is. My nieces made it for me for Christmas.” 

“Is that Leia Organa?” A voice said from another room and a moment later, Grace Turabian came into the hallway, wearing an expression that Mara Skywalker would have approved of. “I don't believe it. Miracles do happen.” 

“Grace.” Helen Quirk murmured as she came to join her. “Leia, it's so good of you to come!”

“Thank you for inviting me.” She moved so Andrew could shut the door and then followed her hostess into the kitchen. “I'm not too early, am I?”

“Not at all.” She beamed and put a hot pad down. “You didn't need to bring anything.” 

“Well, if my mother found out I went to a social gathering and showed up empty handed, I'd never hear the end of it. And my mother _always_ finds out.” She pulled off her gloves and stuffed them into her coat pockets. “It's not much, I'm afraid.” 

Helen peeled back the foil and looked under it. “Cobbler? What kind?”

“Peach.” She pulled off her coat. “The only other fruit I had was crushed pineapple and I didn't think that would work very well. Or it would be far too sweet.” 

“Looks good.” Helen replied as her daughter came into the room.

“Hi, Ms Organa!” Jennifer went straight to her and gave her a one armed hug. “Happy New Year.” 

“Happy New Year, Jennifer.” She returned the hug and folded her coat over her arm, then added her scarf.

“Here, let me show you where to put that.” Jennifer smiled, leading her out of the kitchen. 

*

Diana worried at her bottom lip as she looked up at the towering buildings as her uncle drove them through downtown Chicago. It wasn't that she hadn't seen a skyscraper before, but this was definitely the most she'd seen in one place. There was also the traffic; and it was sort of like being back in Rotterdam. This whole space thing was the hardest thing to get used to here in the States. The big yards, the wide streets – and now, it went upwards as well. 

She tilted her head and she could almost see the top of some of the building they were currently next to, waiting for the light to change. “Do people live in many of these places?”

“What did you say, Diana?' Aunt Amelia asked.

“These buildings. Are they full of flats?” She straightened up. “Or is this where everyone works?”

“It's a mixture of both.” Uncle Kurt answered, then coughed. “Many of the taller buildings are a mixture of at least a dozen different companies. There could be a three separate law firms in one building.” He pointed to the building they were passing. “The main offices of First Order is on the top seven floors of this place.” 

“What's First Order?” Diana frowned, she'd never heard of it.

“It's a clothing company.” Her aunt replied. “Most of their designers live here in Chicago, but their production line is in Toronto. They don't have a store like most high-end companies, but distribute their lines to department stores like Macy's and Kohl's.” 

“I think the owner of the company is going to be at the Institute tonight.” Uncle Kurt added. “I've never met the man personally, but he's one of those people that you know on sight.” He snickered. “Mr. Fish.” 

“Kurt.” Diana could hear the annoyance in her aunt's voice. “His name is not Mr. Fish , it's Mr. Snoek.”

She giggled. “But Aunt Amelia, _snoek_ is a type of fish. A pike, to be exact.” She sat back in her seat at the car turned into a parking garage, still silently chuckling over the name.

*

Ben pushed back the covering of the keys on the piano and tapped a few of them. The notes were clear, and he absently smiled as Arya sprang up on the bench next to him and deiced to test the keyboard for herself, stepping onto it with no regard that he was there. “Oh, is that how it's going to be then?” he smirked at the cat and she replied by jumping onto the top of the piano and started to clean her paws. “Diva.” He muttered as he covered the keys again. “Rey, are you okay in there?” He called towards her room.

“I'm fine.” She replied in a fake, happy sort of tone and he frowned, looking back up at Arya.

“You think she expects me to believe that?” He shook his head stood, going down the short hallway and knocked. He hadn't seen her since she left the bathroom two hours ago and in that time he'd showered, shaved and dressed for the night, as well as unpacked another tote of books. “Rey?” 

“I'll be out in a minute.” Her voice sounded higher than it should, and a bolt of panic went through him. 

He took a deep breath before speaking again. “Rey, you're scaring me, what's wrong?”

“Nothing!” Her tone was still shrill and a moment later she yanked the door open and it took a moment to register what was different about her appearance. “I made the mistake of cutting my hair when it was wet!” She covered her mouth with her hand, and she looked ready to cry. Her once halfway down her back brown hair was now just above her shoulders. 

Ben smiled and stepped forward, gently pulling her hand away from her face and lifting her chin. “ It's a cute look.” He saw her skeptical look, and had a feeling she thought he was humoring her. “Let me see the back.” 

“It's terrible.” She turned around, then looked back over her shoulder at him. “I don't even want to know how awful it is. Don't tell me.” She covered her face. “I should have just left it alone. Or asked for help.” 

“Hm.” He had a feeling that no matter what he told her, she wouldn't believe him. It was a cute look for her, and he had a feeling that now, without the weight of length, Rey had a touch of curl to her hair. He also noticed something else. “Would you look at that.” 

“What?” She let out a frightened noise that ended in a squeal as he placed a kiss on the back of her neck, and she skirted away from him, turning and shaking her finger towards him. “That's not fair!”

“It's a lot easier to get to now with your new look.” Ben remembered their conversation from this morning. “Is this because I mentioned you need more time to wash your hair than I do?”

She bit at her bottom lip and shook her head. “No. New year, new hair...” She reached up and tried to smile. “You think it's okay?”

“It's very cute.” He leaned over and kissed her cheek then took her hands so he could hold her arms out. She was wearing a blue dress he hadn't seen her wear before. “And you look beautiful.” He grinned as he let her hands go. “I see you remembered what I told you about wearing girl's clothes more often.” 

Rey's face scrunched up in a pout. “Tease.” 

He pointed down at her feet, and saw her follow where he was looking. “Shoes, Kenobi.” 

“Gah!” She hurried back to her room. “I'd forget my head if it wasn't attached. Although I'd have noticed when my feet started to get cold.” She returned a moment later and went to sit on the couch to put on her shoes. “Are you wearing a tie?”

Ben looked down at his clothes then shrugged. “I'm going in costume as a responsible-looking adult.” He hadn't really thought about it when he put the tie on earlier and he went over to pull his suit-jacket off the back of one of the dining room chairs. “Actually, this is me blending in. Or as close as I come to it.” He came back over towards her as she stood up and went back into her room and came back with a small clutch purse. “You have everything?”

“I think so.” She turned out the lights in the bathroom and dining room. “Are you sure you're going to be all right going to this?”

He pulled her coat off it's hook and held it out for her to step into. “It's going to be fun.” He brushed his fingers against her chin as she turned around to look up at him. “And really, it's most likely better for me to go out and actually do something I look forward to than sitting here and stew.” He handed Rey her scarf and then pulled his own coat on after putting his phone in his suit pocket. “And remember, the Institute isn't going anywhere, so we don't need to see everything in it tonight.”

“I know that.” She put her phone and keys into her clutch. “Have everything?” 

Ben picked up his own keys and turned out the lights in the living room before unlocking the door. “Yup. Arya, don't throw any parties while we're gone.” He let her step out into the corridor before shutting the door and locking it. “Poor thing will be under a bed once the fireworks start.” 

Rey hit the button for the elevator. “Isn't setting them off in the city limits illegal?”

“It's not the matter of people doing it illegally, it's the few professional ones done being set off over Lake Michigan.” He shook his head. “Of all the places to be in the middle of the night in winter in Chicago, the lake has to be one of the worst.” 

“No kidding.” She muttered as the elevator doors opened and stopped short at the sight of Gwen and Leslie inside.

“Oh how adorable, you have matching haircuts!” Gwen cried and Rey went pink as they went inside. “I love it!”

Ben set his hand on the small of Rey's back as the doors closed. “See, I told you your haircut was cute.” 

“It is.” Leslie reached out and fluffed Rey's hair. “Are these natural curls?” 

“I think so.” Rey managed to straighten up. “Who would have guessed, huh?”

“It is a nice look, Rey.” Gwen stated, smiling. “At least you're not hiding your ears like BB.”

Ben gave her a look. “I don't have your cheekbones, Gwendoline.” 

“Be nice.” Leslie shot her wife a look. “You should know better than to tease these two.” 

Ben felt Rey clasp his hand. “Well, just don't do it in public.” She lifted her chin, smiling. The elevator stopped and they all walked out into the lobby.

He stepped forward to hold the door open for the three of them, the cold air was bracing. “Ladies.” He felt a little silly, but as Gwen passed him, she pinched his cheek and winked and he saw Rey roll her eyes. Making sure the door was shut firmly, they started down the walk, the salt crunching under the feet. Rey took his hand in hers again and squeezed it again, and he smiled down at her, and saw that her eyes were shining. 

It was going to be a wonderful night.


	18. New Years Eve: Evening

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The start of the party at the Chicago Art Institute - where Ben and Rey meet a few new faces. Some good, some nervous - and some - whose motives aren't quite clear.

Rey glanced down at the bright red bracelet around her left wrist, which declared her a minor, and then looked over at Ben's, who was wearing one as well, except his was inverted, showing white instead. The room they were currently in was a riot of people, all of them dressed in clothing she was certain cost more than her entire closet full, making her relieved that she hadn't worn her former dress up outfit of her polka-dotted skirt and the matching blouse. Although none of the men seemed to be wearing tuxedos, many of them were wearing suits that looked about half-a-step down from that particular ensemble. 

It also didn't escape her notice that she was among the youngest looking people here. 

“You want to get something to eat?” Ben asked, his hand resting on the small of her back. “Then we can go wander the galleries.” 

The smell of the food from the buffet line across the room seemed determined to rise above the perfumes of the company, and her stomach rumbled at the thought of eating. “Sounds good.” She gave him a smile and they skirted around the clusters of people, and she noticed that a few people that glanced towards them; and she quickly ducked her head when they made eye-contact. The Phasmas had left their company shortly after arriving, spotting some friends of theirs, with the agreement they would meet back at the entrance to the Arms and Armament gallery at ten.

“Something wrong?” She almost walked right into Ben, and he must have seen something in her expression that told him what was going on. “Don't worry, it's not you they're staring at. They can buy clothing that makes them look stunning and polished, and it's a ruse. Because they can't buy the ability to be a decent human being.” 

She sniggered as they came to the end of the long table and joined the queue of people who had the same idea they did. “Well, you're a giant.” She didn't point out the scar on his face; which, even if Ben hadn't been so tall, would still be noticeable. Truth was, she barely thought or noticed the most prominent of scars anymore. 

“Yeah, great for getting things off top shelves, terrible for hide and seek.” He handed her a plate, along with a fork and a napkin. He grinned. “And don't worry, you should be able to identify everything they're serving, and if you can't, I most likely can.” 

Rey wrinkled her nose at his statement, then he ducked around so she was in front of him. “I think it's just sort of odd to eat standing.” She had noted several tables scattered throughout the venue, easily as tall as the bar tables were back when worked at Chili's, but without sensible chairs to go with them. She adjusted her hold on her plate as the line moved a little and she could make out the first pan's contents; meatballs. “Is there a reason so few people are in line now? Do we know something everyone else doesn't?”

“We know now is when the food's going to be hot.” The man in front of them said, looking back and smiling. He looked a little older than Ben, with a somewhat nervous expression. He also had a vaguely familiar look to her, but she couldn't entirely place it. “I'm determined to enjoy something before my associates show up and start telling me how many calories are in a bite of cheese.” He rolled his eyes. “Perfectly ridiculous.” 

From what she could see, Rey thought the guy could use extra calories. She looked down into the serving pan and took up the spoon, putting two of the meatballs on her plate. “It's cheese, for crying out loud. It's not like it's been deep fried.” She paused. “Which, by the way, tastes amazing.” 

“You can fry just about anything and it tastes good.” Ben offered, and the man smiled back at them, then frowned. “What?”

“That suit you're wearing – it's First Order.” The man's smile grew a little more certain. “I think I may have designed that.” 

Rey looked at Ben's outfit, then back at the man. “It's excellent work.” The line moved forward and she helped herself to some stuffed mushrooms. 

“Thank you.” The man looked down at the food, then back at Ben. It was rather awkward in Rey's mind. Next thing she knew, the guy was going to tell her he knew who had designed her dress. She could clearly remember seeing the First Order tag inside of it when she put it on earlier; she'd never heard of the company before – then again, she'd never really shopped outside of a thrift store, unless it was a discount store. “It's just rather – unusual for me to notice or see a season's worth of work out in public. Well, the genuine work, not a knock-off.”

“I'm sure Degas, Renoir, and Van Gogh couldn't imagine their finest works being shrunk down to size and slapped on the outside of a coffee cup.” Rey grinned. “Although I bet there's one for each of them for sale in the gift shop for under twenty dollars.”

“I think they'd be more appalled to find out what one of their paintings costs now when they were probably paid what we would call an insult.” The man smiled and then seemed to take in the rest of Ben. “What happened there, young man?” He indicated his cheek.

“A BMW challenged me to a fight.” Rey heard Ben chuckle and the man's eyes widened. “As you can see, I won.” 

“Looks like it was painful.” They continued through the line, and he looked furtively around before putting two mozzarella sticks on his plate. The poor guy had to be borderline paranoid.

Ben shrugged as he helped himself to some of the sticks as well, but Rey passed the“It wasn't when it happened, it was painful when I woke up about seven hours later in the ICU.” 

Rey shuddered; she and Ben barely discussed the accident, she didn't want to bring it up and he certainly didn't mention it either. “The car in question is buried under snow out in a junk yard in Kankakee.” 

The man laughed as they came to the end of the food line and the three of them walked over to one of the tall tables, the man still eying the room as if he expected someone to come and take his plate before he could even eat a bite of anything. “I declined my coworkers' offer to join them for dinner. I don't eat sushi. Unless I'm in Japan.” 

Rey almost choked on a mushroom at his statement, and she felt Ben pat her on the back. “That's fine.” She made an attempt to recover, the man was looking at her like she'd grown another head. “I grew up in Texas and I've yet to find decent fried chicken or barbeque in this city.” She grabbed her napkin, pressing it against her mouth.

“I wouldn't want to eat sushi this far inland. I don't care what time they got the fish off the plane.” Ben held up his fork, a meatball speared on it. “Good seafood should only have to make two trips. From the boat to the market, and from market to restaurant.” He stuffed the whole bite into his mouth and the man across the table grinned.

“You caught me.” He chuckled. “I'll eat sushi on the coast.” He rubbed his temple and he seemed to relax. “Dopheld Mitaka.” He offered his hand and Ben shook it.

“Ben Organa-Solo.” He ducked his head slightly, 

“Rey Kenobi.” She shook his hand as well. “And I'm serious about the chicken and the barbeque.” She stopped, suddenly realizing where she'd seen the man before. It was the name that shook her memory clear. “You were on _Project Runway_! Wasn't it three seasons ago?” She beamed at Dopheld; Poe and his mom were both going to go nuts when they found out about _this._

“Has it been that long? Three seasons ago, yes.” He swallowed, then straightened his shoulders. “I didn't win, but it was how I got my job at First Order. Mr. Snoek was at Fashion Week. He saw something in my work and hired me almost as soon as I was told I was out on Project Runway.” He looked over at Ben, his smile becoming more certain. “And I want him to see....” He stopped speaking and came over closer to her, looking her up and down. “Oh my god, you're _both_ wearing my designs!” 

“Uh... thanks?” She exchanged looks with Ben, who looked just as perplexed as she felt. She knew the man hadn't personally made their clothes, but he'd created the pattern. 

“No, thank _you_.” He reached into the back pocket of his pants and pulled out his phone. “Would you two mind if I took your picture?” 

Ben quickly wiped his mouth and looked over at her, and she nodded. “Sure.” He stood up a little straighter and Rey leaned back against him, glad of her heels; and she felt his hand settle on her hip in a loose embrace. “You want us to just look natural?”

“Natural works.” He was adjusting his phone, still wearing a wide grin. 

Rey relaxed her shoulders somewhat, tilting her head towards Ben's, half feeling that she was covering up the wider part of his scar, and, without any idea what to do with her arms, tucked them behind her, and smiled, an odd, fluttering feeling in her stomach. “This evening is already off to an interesting start.” 

Dopheld finished with the phone and the three of them turned their attention back to their plates. 

*

Diana had already decided not to expect to see Ben tonight. That way, if he wasn't here, she couldn't be disappointed. She wasn't certain how long food poisoning even lasted; and she wasn't entirely sure she believed he had it either. She was also relieved that Dad didn't know where she lived now. She couldn't even begin to find words – in Dutch _or_ English, of just how mad she was at him. From her seat at the entrance of one the wings, she could see most of the gathered crowd, most of them seriously dressed up; she was half-surprised that some of the men weren't wearing tuxedos. She bit into her mozzarella stick, and decided that she was the youngest person here. She had to be; people kept glancing at her like she was part of an exhibit, or something.

Aunt Amelia and Uncle Kurt had left her on the bench, telling her to stay right here, and that in a few minutes, she and Aunt Amelia would head off to look at paintings, they just needed to 'make a round' which Diana figured that there were certain people at these things you had to say hello to. She scanned some of the men, or at least, the dark haired ones, on the off chance that she might be able to pick Ben out of the crowd, if he was here. She'd only seen one picture of him, the one in Dad's wallet, and that was over six years old. 

Every time she'd seen it all she thought was how much it looked like Ben needed a hug. 

Aunt Amelia had not let her see the pictures Uncle Kurt had of him, citing that they were obtained against her brother's will, and it was an invasion of privacy. She took it to mean that they probably weren't very flattering and could be taken completely out of context. Just the fact that whomever Peter had been had been enough of a creep to find out that one of Ben's friends from school killed herself and for to be mentioned as causally as the weather, it made her want to scream. That was the sort of thing that should be kept _private._

She popped the last of her mozzarella stick into her mouth and looked around again. There was a woman in a silver dress that was so tight, it might as well be painted on. How did she get it on in the first place? Another woman, younger than most came over to her bench and sat down, rubbing her ankle. Diana gave her a smile, which she returned. “Shoes hurt?”

“I'm not one for heels.” The woman tucked a strand of hair behind her ear; she sounded British. “At least, not for any length of time.” She adjusted the notch on the straps, letting out a soft groan when she did.

“Oh.” She looked back down at her own, then back at the woman. “Aren't you cold?” 

“A little, there's enough people in here that it's not really bothering me yet.” She shrugged, then her expression softened. “That's an interesting accent, where are you from?”

“Rotterdam.” She rubbed her nose. “Are you from London? You sound like you are.”

The woman laughed. “No, I just watched a lot of British shows on television when I was little. I started imitating the way they talked, and it just sort of stuck. _Sherlock Holmes_ from the Seventies, _Doctor Who_ from the Eighties – and _Harry Potter_.” 

Diana giggled, wondering if she should try a similar tactic to improve her English, but given that every show she'd seen on the Disney Channel made her want to throw things, she'd have to use a different station. Maybe Food Network. “I've never been to London, even though it's just around a seven hour drive from where I grew up.” 

The woman frowned, clearly thinking. “That doesn't seem like it should be that long of a drive. Then again, I didn't think Illinois looked that big when I rode the bus to Chicago back in August. It took us thirteen hours to get from Memphis to here.” 

“I bet it's not as long if you don't have to keep stopping.” She thought of the map she had seen earlier today. “But I think you're right, Illinois doesn't look that long. Not like California or Florida does.” 

“I've been to neither, but I know what you mean.” She let her shoulders slump, looking the crowd over. “I've just been to Texas, Illinois, South Dakota, and I went through Kentucky and Tennessee to get here.” She rubbed her arms.

“All right, Miss Texas, time to stop pretending you're not cold.” A voice said and they both looked up to see a tall man standing next to the woman, holding out his suit jacket. “Come on.” 

“Ben, I'm not _that_ cold.” She looked sheepish. “Honestly.”

“Fine, Miss Twenty-One Hours, do you want to start off next semester sick?” He looked ready to drop the jacket on her. 

The woman chuckled and stood, taking the offered garment and pulling it on. The sleeves were so long, only the tips of her fingers were visible. “I think I look better in this than you do.” 

“Nice.” He chuckled and then turned to Diana, and in that split second, she recognized him; and apparently, he did the same. “Grandmom made that face. I remember that look.” 

Diana sprang to her feet, not certain if she should hug him or not. “Really?” She knew that her paternal grandmother had died about five years before she was born, and Dad never talked about either of his parents. Or about his family in general. She used to wonder why, and only know was starting to understand.

“Uh huh.” Ben grinned. “That was her 'I want to know what's going on right now' expression.” He shook his head. “Although she usually didn't make that face at me. She would just put more cookies on my plate and tell me to eat up and let the grown-ups talk.” 

The woman let out a snort. “That I can believe.” 

“Diana!” Uncle Kurt's voice was sharp and she instantly jumped to her feet, and before she had time to think, she was being shunted back by him towards the crowd. “You should know better than to talk to strangers at your age.” 

“Don't pretend like you don't know who I am.” Ben's tone was like ice and it took Diana a moment to realize that her brother had just spoken in Dutch. From her vantage point, looking back, she could see his face clearly; and she recognized their father in her brother's face. 

A moment later the woman with him put a hand on his arm and they turned and walked away. 

Uncle Kurt looked down at her just as Aunt Amelia came over, looking worried. “Diana, were you aware that your brother could speak Dutch?”

“Yes.” She lifted her chin. “And for the record, you didn't ask.” 

Aunt Amelia took her hand, clearly trying to diffuse the situation. “Your uncle still needs to talk to a few people, honey. Why don't we start on that list of paintings?”

She nodded, still trying to process what all had just happened; when really all she wanted to was run after her brother and give him the hug they both needed to have. “It's not fair.” She whispered and her aunt came to a stop. 

“I know it's not fair, Diana.” Her aunt squeezed her hand and moved so she was facing her. “This is a rather wretched mess all around, none of if made by you or your brother. I have a feeling that you want to clean it up, and I'm willing to bet Ben does as well. It's just...” She sighed.

“It's too much in a short amount of time.” She lifted her chin, trying to smile. This whole week had been a whirlwind for her in and of itself. In all truth, the time between Ben finding out about her and leaving Holland seemed like one endless week, instead of over a month. Too many things had happened with no real time to process any of it. “It's been a crazy month for all of us and really, we just need to adjust to everything first?”

“Something like that.” Aunt Amelia squeezed her hand. “And that might be for the best.”

She nodded and they started up the corridor, heading for the American Art Collection. “If we rush into things it just might make things worse.” 

“Exactly.” Her aunt brightened a little. “Looking forward to school on Tuesday?”

“Not really.” Diana muttered. She'd gotten her backpack ready for the event this afternoon, and had to resist the urge not to throw things across the room instead of putting them into the bag. “I'd rather be at my old school in Rotterdam.” 

“I know you would, Diana.” They went up a few steps and they started down the hallway, moving slowly as they came to the start of the collection. 

She bit at her bottom lip, wondering how best to change the subject. Then she remembered something her aunt had said the other day when she went to work with her. “So what is the difference between a school district and a neighborhood?”

Aunt Amelia laughed before she answered.

*

“You have made an excellent point, Mitaka.” Erik Snoek watched the tall young man walking out of the central room, heading off with a young woman. “You have always had the eye to see the beauty in the uncommon.” He smiled over the rim of his wine glass, and saw the younger man duck his head at the praise. “The man who argued for a line of coordinated gray clothing for the colorblind. Most would have laughed at that, you know.” 

Dopheld straightened up. “Yes, Mr. Snoek.” He managed a half-smile. “And I remain grateful for what the First Order has done.” 

“I daresay your new acquaintance is... what is the term I'm looking for?' He stared down at his glass for a moment, thinking.

“Byronic?” Mitaka offered and he smiled in response.

“Exactly.” He took a drink. “What do you know about him?”

“Only that he's getting his master's in Creative Writing from De Paul in the spring and currently works as a custom framer.” He frowned, and Erik saw the nervous look cross his face. “Yes?”

“Ah, we have too many pretty faces wearing our clothing, Dopheld. Pretty faces that are a dime a dozen – they are not the people who buy our clothing. First Order is worn by people like your new friends there. People who wish to look stylish without spending an entire paycheck on a shirt.” He tapped his fingers against the glass. “To make him our new face, Mitaka, however, is rather risky. Most would not look past the scar.” He lifted his chin. “However, it is something to consider.” He took a sip of wine. “Please tell me you at least got his name.”

The young man smiled. “Of course I did, Mr. Snoek.” He turned towards the direction the two had gone. “And the young lady's as well.” 

*

Ben silently congratulated himself on maintaining his composure. As he and Rey made their way up a long corridor, headed for the Impressionist Collection, he felt her fingers squeeze his, and he inhaled slowly, coming to a stop. He didn't feel any guilt or remorse for how he'd spoken to Diana's uncle. The asshole deserved it. Quite frankly, he'd really wanted to punch him dead in the face. But that could get messy fast; he didn't like being lumped into the same category as his father that often. Kurt Anslan may have thought what he was doing was right, but in the end, he could have just asked.“I'm not walking too fast, am I?”

“It's fine.” Her arms wrapped around his waist, resting her head on his collarbone, and he hugged her close, closing his eyes, already feeling the tension leave his body. “I sort of thought the two of you would look alike. Like Elijah and Elisa do.” 

He chuckled; he had thought there might be a few similarities, but as he'd been told constantly that he most resembled his Grandma Skywalker, there was little chance of that. “They're full siblings.” He pressed a kiss to the top of her head, breathing deeply. “I'm all right, don't worry.” 

She snickered and slowly pulled away from him, touching his scared cheek, the sleeve of his jacket falling down past her wrist. “Sure you are. And I'm the Queen of England.” 

“You look good for ninety, your majesty.” He laughed, taking her other hand and she twirled on her left foot, her hair flying around her face. “And so spry.” 

She grinned as she came back and kissed his chin. “Ask me nicely and I'll share my secret, my dear Yankee.” 

“I'm not a Yankee.” He nipped her bottom lip. “That's someone who eats pie for breakfast, or follows that bloody baseball team from NYC.” He grasped her hand in his and they continued onward. “I'll wait until we're back at home to let things out, okay?”

“That's fine.” She squeezed his fingers again. “Leslie suggested going out for pancakes after midnight. I told her we'd have to wait and see how tired we all are.” She stopped as they came into the room. “Wow.” she drifted away from him, heading towards Monet's _Waterlilies_ , almost as if she was hypnotically pulled across the room towards it. He watched her go, enjoying her reaction to the art around them rather than the art itself. 

The room they were currently in was nothing but Monet watercolors, augmented with sculptures by Rodin. There was something wholly magical watching someone discover something they had only seen in pictures, the pages of a book or the screen of a computer suddenly made real. The way he had seen exchange students from Thailand run out into the snow his first semester in Chicago, utterly entranced by something Ben couldn't remember not knowing. 

The best he could remember in his experience was the day he walked into the towering stacks of adult non-fiction at the library when he was nine, rather enthralled by the thick, knowledge heavy books and wondered if this was what the library at Hogwarts was like. 

He drifted past _Stacks of Wheat_ , still watching Rey as she moved slowly from painting to painting, almost in a dream-like haze.

He'd come out this evening, not so much as to really wanting to, but so that Gwen, Leslie and Rey could have a good night. It was easy for him to be out here, pretending that nothing was wrong, when he'd spent years of doing it, and he knew he was going to get hell from Doctor Andres about it. At the start of the week, this had been something he was looking forward to, and he'd hated the idea of not doing it, but now that he was here, it was harder than he expected. 

Ben knew why he was out in public on New Year's Eve. Why he was always out on this night. Why wherever he was, Nate had gone out. Jen was keeping herself occupied in Buffalo – they went out and did social things on the last day of the year so they wouldn't remember that terrible December night when the three of them had fallen asleep watching _Goblet of Fire_ , completely unaware that their lives were about to take an even more terrible turn for the worse. 

Watching Rey discover masterpieces was both wonderful and heartbreaking. There was much she should have seen growing up, and had never gotten to. 

“Pancakes have a special taste at one in the morning.” He stated, setting a hand on the small of her back as they came back together in front of _Charing Cross Bridge, London_ , and he looked down to see that her eyes were full of tears. “Rey?”

She smiled and put her arms around him again, and he let out the breath he was holding. “Thank you.” 

He returned the hug; he knew that she understood. “Would you like to go see the Van Goghs?” 

She pulled away, nodding and rubbing her nose. “I'd love to.” She took his hand and they walked back out into the corridor.


	19. Lazy Mornings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> January 1, 2017 - a day and a year that started off cold, crisp - and a year full of possibilities, for everyone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please take note of new tags, in the event of triggers.

Rey pulled off her shoes, groaning. When she had put them on earlier this evening, they'd been perfectly comfortable and she hadn't exactly thought how they'd feel after walking at least three miles and standing in them for almost six hours. She quickly shed the rest of her clothing, pulled on an oversized shirt she'd caged from Ben's drawer, and a pair of pajama bottoms. Once she had hung up her dress, she padded barefoot into the bathroom to finish getting ready for bed.

After the festivities at the Institute ended, she, Ben and the Phasmas were all exhausted, and decided not to go out for a midnight breakfast. She for one, just wanted to curl up in bed with Ben and stay there until Monday. This past week had been too much for both of them. Their lazy Friday had done wonders, and they needed another such day. Or even two. She tossed the cleaning cloth into the trash, ran a hand through her short hair, feeling a little better about her new look than she had earlier this evening. “We do not have matching haircuts.” She wrinkled her nose and started to brush her teeth. 

In the other room, she could hear Ben straightening things up, the usual domestic things, and while she knew he was tired, she knew he had a thing about making certain everything was orderly before he went to sleep. Not always, since the two of them frequently went to bed with their clothes scattered in a trail to or around his bed, but other things – he liked things clean. 

Rey felt Arya rub against her leg, and she looked down at the cat, who chirped at her before walking into the shower and splashing in the small puddle inside. “I'd have thought the water would have dried by now.” She mumbled around a mouthful of toothpaste and grimaced as a cramp went through her back. She finished up, rinsing her toothbrush and sticking it back in the holder. Not wanting to go back to her room for bottle of Motrin, she opened the medicine cabinet, and realized, to her surprise, she'd never looked inside before. 

Five bright orange pill bottles stood in a regimental row on the middle shelf, and was certain, if she checked, the prescriptions would be arranged chronologically by their number, or alphabetically by their name. She swallowed hard, knowing full well Ben didn't take pills – he hated the damn things. She scanned the names of the drugs quickly; they were almost all pain killers. Heavy duty ones – Morphine, Oxycodone APAP, Tylenol 3, and there was a bottle of Sertaline, something she knew was an anti-depressant, and almost all of the bottles appeared practically undisturbed, if not at all. Only one showed any sigh of being used with any regularity, the sleep aide Zolpidem. “They must be from the accident.” she shut the door, ashamed. 

“I have no idea why they gave me so many different kinds of pain meds.” Ben's voice came from the door and she jumped. “Sorry, I didn't meant to scare you..” He ducked his head. “I was on heavy duty painkillers while I was in the hospital, then given scripts when I was released. I told Gwen I didn't need them, but she went to Jewel and filled them anyway.” He came into the bathroom and reopened the cabinet, and she hated the blank look on his face. “And since I never asked for another script when I went back for physical therapy, no one questioned what I was taking. I don't think Gwen was paying too close attention, or she wouldn't have picked up the Sertaline – I told Doctor Andres about it, and I think he gave someone at the hospital hell for it.” He shut the door again, sighing. “I just keep them around, because... well, I don't know.” He ran a hand through his hair. “It's not exactly a good idea to walk around Chicago with what amounts to at least a thousand dollars in street value of drugs for a return day.”

She shrugged, not surprised at his calm manner and moved to sit on the lip of the tub as he started to brush his teeth. She didn't want to ask who'd even know he'd have drugs on his person, but realized, given what she'd seen on the news all to often, both here and in Houston, people were insane. You'd have to be insane or on something to try and mug someone Ben's size single-handled. She shifted her gaze to her hands as she listened to him, wondering absently if it truly bothered her he had the painkillers, or if it was he'd rather suffer in pain than take the bloody things.

Rey knew she couldn't use the argument of it was just a few mostly untouched bottles. Ben had been given the medicine because the doctors felt he needed them. He had probably been too eager to get out of the hospital, he'd have taken the whole stack of scripts willingly and raised no argument if it got him home quicker. She looked up as she heard the water running and stood, kissing his cheek. “Next time we go to the Institute, remind me to wear comfortable shoes.” 

“Not a problem, I need to do the same.” He snickered. “Or I need to wear nice shoes more often.” 

She smiled and left him in the bathroom to finish up, closing the door behind her. She looked to her right towards her room; the door still open, but the light out. She looked to her left, into Ben's, where only the near bedside lamp was still lit. The invitation he gave her every night and she never thought of refusing, not since Thanksgiving weekend. She slipped into his room and curled up on the far side of the bed, her back to the door. Just lying down was enough to relax her as she adjusted her pillow as she heard the soft groan of the bathroom door the bed shifted as Ben got into it and turned off the light. “I had a great time tonight.” 

“So did I, Sunshine.” she felt his hand on her back, massaging the area between her shoulders. She groaned as he worked out the kinks, “I'm sorry you tend to keep getting caught up in the drama that is my family.”

She smiled as his hand slid under her shirt to rub her skin directly. “You're not exactly the creator, you just happen to be in the eye of said hurricane.”

“Point.” He sighed. “The past two months were just... they seemed like a whole year, in terms of events. Many good, plenty of surprises – and just flat out...” 

“Crazy.” She stated, and she knew he was right. She'd had her share of ups and downs in the past two months herself. If someone had told her the morning before Ben first showed up in Life Drawing that her whole life was about to change, she would have laughed in the person's face. “But good.”

“Yeah.” His hand slowly slipped down her spine before he withdrew. “Some of the best weeks ever.” 

She rolled back over and snuggled up against his side, her head resting on his chest. “You'll get no argument from me there.” Arya's bell jangled from somewhere nearby and a moment later there was a soft thump as she too, got onto the bed. “Guess you got tired of the bathroom, huh?”

Ben snickered. “She hasn't tried to join you in the shower yet, has she?” 

“No.” She chuckled, “although I think it's because I always make sure she's not in the bathroom when I do, and I lock the door.” 

“I am rather bad about locking the door, aren't I?” He sighed, coughed, and Rey glanced down at the foot of the bed, where the cat curled up, watching the two of them. “Guess it comes from hardly ever having to share a bathroom.” 

She rubbed her cheek against his shirt, closing her eyes. “Maybe – you didn't lock the door when you lived here with your Aunt Sabe?” 

“I may have, I don't remember.” He yawned, and his hand settled on her hip. “Good night, Sunshine.” 

She smiled, draping her arm over his middle, the steady thump of his heart right under her ear. “Good night, Bear.” 

*

Leia was woken up by a steady, if somewhat uneven, scraping noise. She pushed herself up on her arms, blinking confusedly. She looked over at her alarm clock – it was just after eight – and she wasn't entirely sure how long she'd slept. She focused on the sound, remembered it had been snowing when she left the Quirk's last night, and a fine sheet of white had already covered her drive when she had walked up it, her mind more on sleep than anything else. “Someone's shoveling my driveway?” She sat up, rubbing her eyes. “Or it's the neighbors.” 

She rose from her bed, pulling on her robe and slippers, half-awake as she came downstairs and looked out the dining room window, and found the younger of the Quirk boys, Robert, clearing off her drive, the walk from the front door to it already cleared. A second look revealed Sam, the elder, clearing off the sidewalk between her drive and the Komer's. “I feel like I missed something.” She stepped back from the glass and headed into the kitchen. She would be able to think a little clearer once she had coffee. 

While she waited for the water to heat, she folded her arms, leaning against the counter. It was her last week in Buffalo, and if it weren't for a few things to do and the fact she couldn't take possession of her loft until next Monday, she'd leave before this Friday. “Have to remember to watch the weather.” She rubbed her eyes again, grabbed a pod out of the basket before dropping it into the machine, grabbing her mug from the rack by the sink. 

The past week had been too crazy, even for her. 

The scent of vanilla wafted up from the machine and it struck a cord; the smell reminded her of the large slice of wedding cake she had put in front of Ben, all those years at the Kenobi's wedding. She'd worn her pearls to that wedding, and a picture had been taken of her and Ben – and the slice of cake. She knew her son still had a copy of the exact same picture, it was one of his favorites of the two of them. “No...” Leaving the coffee behind, she went into the living room and opened the box of photo albums, pulling out one that was fairly old and flipping through it quickly. 

Sure enough, seven pages in, was her and Ben, all smiles, and the absolutely decadent piece of cake she'd not thought twice about putting in front of him. “That bitch.” She seethed, wishing she had Bazine in front of her again so she could punch the woman, shoot her – do _something_. The idea of her anywhere near her son made her skin crawl. 

Leia shut the book and carried it and several others back with her into the kitchen, setting them on the table so she could look through it while she drank her coffee. “I haven't been through these since Thanksgiving.” she retrieved her mug and sat down, and made a face. “I shouldn't keep these shut away.” She took a drink, realizing it'd been even longer than November since she'd gone through this particular album, and some of the pictures she didn't even remember. “I should get some of those collage frames.” 

She'd put the pictures into the books years ago, not out of nostalgia, but she'd hated the idea of envelopes of photographs stuck in random drawers and the risk of them getting lost. She opened another one at random and her eyes widened in surprise. “What in the world...” She pulled open the thin plastic sheet that covered the pictures and lifted it from the page, completely dumbfounded. “No... I'd remember this. _He'd_ remember this.” She flipped over the photo, and the writing confirmed what she was seeing. 

Standing on the Galveston shore, all three of them tan from the sun, was Ben, age eleven, Anna, age three – and on her son's other side, clasping his hand and beaming – was four year old Rey Kenobi.

*

Ben leaned into the cold wind, tightening his grip on the bag in his left hand, his right clasping the collar of his coat. When he'd woken up this morning, he had left Rey tucked in bed, slumbering away. Almost no one was out and about in the bitter Sunday morning, but like an idiot, he'd bundled up and headed to the Donut Landing he and Rey passed every time they went to ride the L, but he hadn't been inside since shortly before the National Playoffs back in October. Whatever had possessed him to get out of a warm bed, head out into the brutal cold of January, so early the street lights were still on, all for half a dozen doughnuts?

Because he couldn't lie awake and pretend to sleep any longer.

Despite the fact he'd been plenty tired, he had never found rest last night. He had nearly taken a sleeping pill before he got into bed. He'd come close, but he didn't do it. He'd dozed more than anything, and had watched Rey sleep, perfectly content and snuggled up against him. The clock had ticked away, but he couldn't slip under the surface and find the sleep he was craving. The rational part of him wanted to state it would just be _one_ pill, and _one_ pill wouldn't hurt. He needed sleep, the pill would help, and have done with it.

He'd remembered when he'd held the bottle of generic Zoloft and how it'd felt the first time he'd ever taken the drug. He was seventeen, full of grief and wanted to just wanted it to stop. 

It'd done a brilliant job of doing exactly _that._ He stopped feeling, period. He'd moved through his last two months of his Junior year of high school like a zombie, utterly oblivious to practically everything and everyone, and giving non-answers to questions of how he was feeling, how he was doing. It'd been wretched and ended with him slicing his leg to wake himself up.

Never again. 

He could have thrown back a Zolpidem and he could still be snoring away, tucked into bed with Rey, and not out in this bitter, painful, cold he could feel all the way in his bones

The memory of taking the Oxycodone and the floating feeling it gave him, a sort of euphoric haze that had, during September, combined with how the Cubs played, made things seem _amazing._ But when he'd come down, he'd felt wretchedly ashamed. He _still_ felt ashamed. He had known full well how his body reacted to medication, any medication – and he'd just followed directions, behaving like the model patient just like he had behaved like a model student, model everything, even without the audience he kept waiting to appear with the applause.

So last night, he'd held the little orange bottle and thought about it; he hadn't touched the drug since October. He didn't want to take it, even when he needed it. 

Because he knew if he made it a habit, one day he just might take the whole bottle in an attempt to keep the glorious euphoria forever and wake up to having his stomach pumped. Ben knew he'd be put on a suicide watch. It wasn't that he _wanted_ to kill himself – he never had. He just hated feeling like he _should_. He'd explained as much to Doctor Andres, and the man had understood. Medication helped many people with his condition, but for him, it would never work. 

Ben pulled open the door of the apartment building and let out a groan as the slight warmth from being out of the wind and air alone washed over him. “Augh.” He groaned, covering a yawn. The elevator doors opened just as he reached them and a man he was certain lived on the fourteenth or fifteen floor stepped out, looking about as tired as he felt. “Morning, Happy New Year.” He managed a smile.

“Morning, and Happy New Year to you too.” He held his arm in front of the doors so Ben could get inside, and he glanced down at the bag in his hand. “They still have plenty of glazed, right?”

He snickered. “Unless they've sold all two dozen in the last ten minutes, yes, and there was only one other person in there when I left. Bundle up, it's cold enough to freeze spit out there.” 

“Thank you.” The man laughed and walked away as Ben hit the button for his floor, leaning against the back wall as the door closed and the car made its way up, the familiar sound of the gears seemed louder than normal; they always did in the morning. 

“Please don't let Rey be up yet.” He smiled to himself and pulled the bag up so he held it in his hand, and fished his keys out of his pocket with the other. “It's half past seven, no way is she awake.” The elevator came to a stop and he stepped out onto his floor, unlocking the door and slipping quietly inside, and glancing towards his room, could see Rey where he left her, tucked into bed. After taking off his coat and shoes, he carried the box of doughnuts into the kitchen and made himself a second cup of coffee. 

He pulled a plate from the drying rack and opened the box, taking out two of the doughnuts, one glazed and one that was chocolate with shaved coconut. As he was closing the box, Arya brushed against his leg, and he looked down. “These aren't good for you, Little Miss.” He went over the pantry and opened the treat box, holding one of them out towards her. “This is for you.” 

The cat all but grabbed it from him and ran off with her prize.

“You always think I'm going to take it back.” He shut the pantry, washed his hands and took his coffee and doughnuts into his office. “Like I would.” Keeping in mind Rey was still sleeping in the next room, he put on his headphones as he started up his laptop. Leslie had told him last night he should expect to receive a copy of his novel back from an editor at Simon & Schuster in the next week, and he wasn't entirely certain what to expect. He was half-toying with the idea of changing the title. 

Taking a sip of coffee and selecting his 'Writing Mix' play-list on Spotify, he opened the most recent chapter on what he hoped would be the accepted sequel to _Kylo Ren._ Half a doughnut and the opening theme of _Game of Thrones_ later, he was completely immersed in his writing, the world around him falling away; leaving him in the world he'd created, and wanted nothing more than to share. 

**

Diana knew it was late when she woke up; when they had come back from the city it'd been close to midnight, and she'd gone to bed less than ten minutes after they returned. She stood in the kitchen, somewhat lost; her aunt and uncle were still asleep, the cold and empty coffee pot was evidence enough. She ran her fingers along the counter, stepping into the pantry and looking around the space blankly. Feeling as if she was moving on autopilot, she took out the box of Frosted Flakes and stepped back to the counter, fixing her breakfast without thinking about any of it.

Last night she had she and her brother had seen each other for the first time and it'd been so anticlimactic, she wondered what she could have been expecting. She shouldn't have gotten her hopes up, she was old enough to know better. 

She put the milk back into the fridge, but left the box of cereal where it was as she got out a spoon and carried her bowl over to the table, sitting down with a slight thump and swirled the cereal around, remembering her brother's face, no longer the slight, sad faced teenager in the old photograph in Dad's wallet, he'd changed in many ways, but the sorrowful look had remained.

Black hair inherited from someone she didn't know, those brown eyes she figured had to come from his mother – and a nose like their father's. She had barely registered the scar that had graced his right cheek, but she could picture the rest of the pale face she'd only seen a handful of times in an old photograph. He had never seen her before, yet told her that she looked like their grandmother. Diana wondered what the woman had been like. Dad never talked about her. 

Dad didn't talk about a lot of things.

She could recall dozens of stories from her mother's parents, but there was nothing she knew about her father's. There was so much she wanted to know, and whenever she had asked, Dad had always said he didn't remember, or he didn't give a full answer. Resting her head on her fist, her shifted her focus out the window. Maybe she could bundle up today and play in the snow today. There certainly was enough of it to do some serious building. 

Staying in this silent house with elephants in every corner was starting to grate on her. Tomorrow, she'd head off to school – a blessing and a curse, she supposed. She had no idea if she'd just be placed in her age appropriate grade, or if she'd have to start in a younger class due to her English skills. Going back to school the day after a holiday seemed strange; back in Holland, she'd still have another week of vacation.

Diana knew she couldn't stand another week in this house without _something_ to distract her. 

“Good morning, Diana.” Her aunt called and she turned to look at her as she went to the coffee pot and turned it on.

“Morning, Aunt Amelia.” She answered before eating another mouthful of cereal, and looked down to find she had eaten nearly the entire bowlful without tasting any of it. She scraped together the rest of the cereal. “I was thinking of going outside later. Is that okay?”

“Normally, I'd say yes, but it's insanely cold.” the woman sat down opposite of her. “I hate these sort of winter days.” she shot a look towards the windows, the sun bright on the rolling snow. “I know it looks warm, but trust me, it's almost double digits below freezing out there, and that's without the wind chill.” 

Diana ducked her head, her focus on her bowl. “Wouldn't want to get sick, right?”

“Right.” She sighed. “I know you have a few new puzzles, you could work on one of those, and since we won't be using the dining room any time soon, you could put it together in there.” 

She thought of the stack, sitting up on her desk upstairs, ranging from five hundred to two thousand pieces. It would give her something to do; and she would most likely be left alone while she worked. Alone was rapidly becoming her new favorite way to spend time. “That could be fun.” She worried her bottom lip, then pulled a smile. “So we're not doing anything today?”

Aunt Amelia shook her head. “No. Your uncle has to work on lesson plans for the semester and I've got some things to do as well.” She wrapped her hands around her coffee mug. “School tomorrow.” 

“I know.” she drank the milk from her bowl, carried it and the spoon to the dishwasher. “I guess I have to take tests or something to see what grade I'll be put in?”

“Your English is quite good, so I can't imagine why they wouldn't just put you in fourth or fifth grade automatically.” she paused. “And if anyone gives you a hard time for having to use your Dutch/English dictionary, ask them how many languages they speak.”

Diana shut the dishwasher, putting on a brave face. “I'm going to go get dressed and pick out a puzzle.” She paused. “Happy New Year, Aunt Amelia.”

“Happy New Year, sweetie.” Her aunt smiled and looked back into her mug as Diana walked out of the kitchen, heading for her room.

*

Rey stretched out in bed, surprised when she didn't encounter Ben when she did. She grumbled slightly, pushing herself up and rubbing her eyes. “What time is it?” She looked across the room to the alarm clock and found it was nearly eleven. “Wow.” She slid out of bed, padding into the living room, and saw the open door of Ben's office, the only noise within was from the steady sound of him typing. “Wonder how long he's been up.” Yawning, she went into the kitchen and stopped short at the sight of the bright blue box next to the coffee pot. “Doughnuts?” She lifted the lid, and found exactly four of them within; two glazed, one chocolate with chocolate icing and rainbow sprinkles, and the third was the Donut Landing's most famous offering – chocolate peanut butter cup – the one she'd longed to try, but it was constantly sold out when she went inside, even as early as seven in the morning. “Maybe they make extra on Sundays” 

Knowing better than to eat such a rich thing for breakfast with just coffee,he poured herself a glass of milk before breaking the decadent doughnut in half and took a large bite. The sugar rush was instantaneous and she had to grab the counter to steady herself. She quickly took a large sip of milk and blinked as the kitchen came back into focus. “Those things should come with a warning.” Her next bite was smaller and she sighed as the coffee pot pinged, and she dropped a pod into the machine. “Coffee good.” 

Once she'd eaten her half of the peanut butter delight – she didn't want to eat all of it, just in case Ben hadn't gotten one for himself – she took the one with sprinkles and her coffee, and sat down at the dining room table, still over half covered with his books. Lying nearest to her was another one of his yearbooks, and unlike the minimalist cover of his senior year, this one was covered in photos, in what she guessed was an attempt at school spirit. She pulled it closer and flipped it open, finding the front inside page full of signatures and messages – and there was one, rather halting sort of script that made her pause, because it was strangely familiar.

_BB – Sophomore year was lousy, let's make Junior year awesome! Two more and we're out of this place! Stanford Cardinals Forever!!! OXO - Shelly_

Rey swallowed hard and resisted the urge to slam the book shut. Instead, she calmly flipped to the student pictures and found the sophomores with ease. “Darrow, Darrow...” she scanned down the list f names and found her, between someone named Anthony Curran and Megan Dawes. The black and white image of a girl with blonde hair and a bright smile almost seemed wrong. It was wretched to think what would happen to her the next year. Ben was right, she _was_ extremely pretty; the sort of girl who looked as if she would fit right in with the popular clique at Rey's high school. Her eyes glanced to the left instantly narrowed as she caught sight of the sixteen year old Armitage Hux, same smirk as senior year, if slightly younger, but still - 

“Asshole.” she muttered and flipped a few pages forward, finding Ben in the Os, his image directly under Jordan March's. The most alarming thing about it was his smile; rather than the forced look she'd seen in so many of his more recent photos, in this one, he looked about ready to burst out laughing. A genuine, happy look – or the photographer had just told him a joke and he was attempting not to grin. His ears were almost completely hidden in his mop of hair. “Rocking the Beatles look, I guess.” She turned back to the front and read another note, standing out from the others because it was written in green ink.

_Ben – I'll leave the literary stuff to you, and save the gushy stuff for senior year. Stay awesome – even if you do support the Red Sox and the Cubs. - Jordan_

“This is like watching a historical disaster movie,” she muttered, taking a sip of coffee and pushing the book away. “Poor kids.” She pulled her doughnut in half and sank down in her seat as she began to eat it, not as cloyingly sweet as the first one, but was still pronounced enough that she couldn't take a second bite without washing the first down with coffee. Once she was finished, she rose from the table, holding her mug and crossed the room to Ben's office, still no noise coming from it but the steady and constant tapping of his keyboard. “Must have his headphones on.” She knocked on the door, but Ben didn't respond, and she was about to push the door open when Arya beat her to it, chirping incessantly. “Where have you been hiding?” She stepped into the cold room just in time to see the cat jump onto the desk and set herself on the keyboard of Ben's laptop.

“Gah!” Ben sprang back, his headphones falling off and Rey could hear the faint sound of what sounded like Pink Floyd. “Arya Andromeda Organa Solo!”

The cat stood and chirped, before moving off the computer and onto the cushion next to the desk. 

Rey nearly dropped her mug as she burst out laughing. “Are you telling me your cat has a full name?”

He turned to give her a sheepish grin. “Of course she does. It's so she knows how much trouble she's in.” He sat back down in the chair and did something on the computer, shaking his head. “How long have you been up?”

“Long enough for one and a half doughnuts and most of a cup of coffee.” she came over and kissed the top of his head. “Thank you, by the way.”

“You're welcome,” he rubbed his eyes as he shut the laptop, looked at his phone, “wait, it's already after eleven?”

“Yeah. I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw the alarm clock myself.” She took a drink from her mug, and saw a plate littered with doughnut crumbs. “Arya won't try and eat that, will she?” She nodded towards the plate.

“No, she knows better.” He stood and gathered up his plate and empty coffee mug. “You're having breakfast and I should eat some lunch.” He kissed her cheek before they left the room and she watched him walk into the kitchen, “you were supposed to eat all of this peanut butter cup!” 

She laughed and went after him. “I wasn't sure if you had one or not, I didn't want to eat all of it if you didn't have one of your own.” She leaned against the threshold as he made himself more coffee. “Besides, it's too sweet to eat the entire thing in one setting.” 

“Yeah.” He sighed, leaning his hands against the counter, and she frowned. Now that she could see him better she instantly thought Ben looked exhausted. How early had he gotten up? “It'll keep and you can have it for dessert later today.” 

“Maybe.” She took another sip from her mug, looking down when Arya brushed against her ankles. “Someone heard about food.” 

“I already fed you, Little Miss.” Ben gave his pet a look, frowned, and Rey could see the confusion there. “I know I did, because you wouldn't have left me alone if I hadn't.” 

She kept her focus on the contents of her mug. “You need a little more sleep?, sounds like you might not have gotten enough last night.” 

“For some reason, I couldn't get to sleep. Not for long.” He straightened up, and there was a soft ping as his coffee cup stopped filling. “I'll be fine.” 

Rey frowned, narrowing her eyes. “Sure you will.” She resisted the urge to take his coffee from him; she had no idea how many cups of the stuff he'd already consumed. “I'm kind of surprised, you looked ready to sleep in the elevator last night,” she shrugged and came down the narrow kitchen, setting a hand on his back and rubbed it. “Or did your muse keep you up last night with a thousand ideas when all you wanted to do was close your eyes?”

He chuckled, and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into a hug, and she could smell winter on him. That brisk, clean scent she couldn't entirely place until they went to De Smet. “It was something along those lines, yes.” She felt him kiss the top of her head. “I can also confirm it is horribly cold outside.” 

She snickered, “it's cold in your office, but then, it always seems like it's cold in there.” She rubbed her cheek against his chest; closing her eyes and just let herself listen to the thump of his heart, setting her mug down on the counter and draped her arms against his middle.

Ben laughed and hugged her a little tighter. “Wait until the summer, it'll be the exact opposite.” 

“So you've told me.” She kissed the hollow of his throat pulled away, picking her mug back up. “You going to finish putting your books away this afternoon?”

He leaned back against the sink, shaking his head. “Yes, I will. Not fair of me to use up so much of the dining room table.” 

“Well, you need space to organize.” She glanced back into the doughnut box, trying to determine what kind he had eaten. “If the peanut butter cup one is mine, and I also had the one with sprinkles, what did you have?”

“One glazed and a chocolate one with shaved coconut.” He smiled and looked down into his mug. “And I just made myself hot chocolate instead of coffee.” He grinned. “This means I need a marshmallow to go with it.” 

Rey chuckled and went to the fridge to retrieve the milk while he went to the pantry. “Well, Mr. Sleepyhead, how about the two of us finish off these doughnuts and plan out dinner for the next week? It'll give us seven less things to worry about for the week.” 

Ben set his mug on the hutch at the front of the kitchen before pulling the bag out of the pantry and adding a marshmallow to the cup. “Sounds like a plan.” He managed a smile as she finished pouring herself more milk. “Although tonight we have to have black eyed peas and cabbage.” 

She wrinkled her nose, not so much at the cabbage, but for the second item. “What for?”

He grinned. “You eat cabbage on January first for money in the new year, black eyed peas for luck.” He tossed the bag back into the pantry. “Don't worry, I have a recipe for deep frying the peas and we can have cabbage salad to go with it.”

She put the milk back into the fridge, laughing, “I was wondering why you bought cole slaw mix in the dead of winter.”


	20. January Song

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey heads into her second semester of college with excitement, and makes a new friend on the first day. Ben is making changes in his life, hopefully for the better.

The first week of January seemed to last but a second compared to the one the came before it. Rey checked her schedule for the umpteenth time, silently relieved that Ben had kept all of his Literature textbooks, and, once she had a supply list from her art teachers, they were going to go to Michael's together so she could use his employee discount on materials. She covered a yawn as Ben came out of the kitchen and set her lunch box down on the table next to her; he was still in sweats, he didn't have a class until later this afternoon. “At least it's not snowing.” 

“No snow is expected until Thursday, and then it's only flurries.” He took a sip from his coffee mug. “What time are you done with classes today?”

“Four, so if the trains are running on time, I'll be home at around five.” She stuffed the box into the front pocket of her backpack, then started to pull on her coat. “You?”

“Class at two, then I have a few errands to run, so I'll be back around the same time.” He made a face over the rim of his coffee mug. “Remember, the short winter break ensures a longer summer one.” 

She snickered. “Anna was telling me about her school of choice when we were at her house. NWMSU has trimesters, so she starts near the beginning of August, but will be out for the summer at the end of April.” She dropped her keys into the front pocket and tugged on her gloves. “I can't imagine being out for all of May, it just sounds crazy.” 

“I know what you mean.” He set his mug down and came over to her, and started to straighten the collar of her coat. “You don't need to learn everything on the first day, and Professor Langley, your Lit teacher, will have a lecture prepared. Don't worry, she looks way scarier than she is.” He chuckled. “I once had a splendid debate with her when she asked what I was doing in Nineteenth Century Women Writers. A class she wasn't even teaching, she was just covering for Professor Doyle, who had a family emergency and it was Midterms.” 

Rey gave him a look. “How long did it last?”

“My response to her was she was being sexist, and Oliver Zahn, who was sitting next to me demanded to know why she was singling me out, when there were clearly other guys in the class.” He smirked. “All right, young lady.” He kissed her forehead. “You have a good day at school and I'll see you this evening.” 

She shouldered her backpack, shaking her head at him. “You're too much, you know that?”

“Yes, but it's one of your favorite things about me.” He walked her over to the door and opened it for her. “Be careful and stay bundled up out there.” 

“I will.” She leaned up her her toes and kissed his chin. “Love you.” 

“Love you too.” He smiled and closed the door as she stepped out into the hall and hit the button for the elevator. She tapped her foot idly as she waited, and a moment later, the doors opened, and she joined Leslie and a man she didn't recognize in the car.

“Morning.” She said, politely, and she saw Leslie give her a worn smile.

“Morning.” The woman answered and the man looked up from his phone and merely nodded before looking back down. The elevator stopped three more times before they reached the first floor, and by the time they did, Rey was left wondering if she was the only person in the building who didn't have a wool coat. At least she wasn't the only one not in black. Leslie's coat was gray and a woman who had gotten on at the twelfth floor was wearing a coat of pale pink. When they got outside, she and two others headed down the hill towards the L while the rest headed for the parking garage across the street. 

It was early enough that the traffic could be considered 'light' and the stairs to the L had been freshly salted, crunching under her boots as they came up to the platform. As much as she liked the holidays, it was a relief to be going back to school; and in all honesty, she hated being cooped up inside. That was the worst thing about winter to her. Not the cold, snow, or ice – but having to stay indoors and stay in one place. Even if she was just going to class, it was still being out. She loved staying out of the weather, yes; but the freedom of being able to go out and not be bound to the indoors...

The train came and she joined the several scores of commuters and students, and she set her bag on her lap as the L rumbled along, and the familiarity of the route came back to her, the buildings she had come to recognize, the whole of it, and even the billboards seemed unchanged; save for the one she swore used to advertise for the Bears and was replaced by the Black-hawks, and she knew it wouldn't be long before hockey yielded to baseball. 

The journey didn't seem nearly as long as it had back in December as the train pulled into the stop for De Paul, and she shouldered her bag once she was off the train and headed up into campus. She could hear the salt crunching under her boots as she bent into the wind, holding her scarf up against her mouth, silently thankful Mara had made it from alpaca, not sheep wool. The garment still smelled like the Skywalker house. The wonderful, homey sort of scent was a mixture of coffee, bread fresh from the oven, and something she could never quite figure out.

Just up in front of her, she could see a figure in a bright blue coat, stopping at the cross-path, and then back the way she came.

“You lost?” Rey pulled down her scarf to see a girl about her own age, her cheeks pink with cold.

“Not entirely.” She frowned. “I'm headed for Falstaff, I have Intro to American Lit at nine.” 

She grinned. “So do I.” She inclined her head towards the left-hand path. “Come on.” 

“Thanks.” The girl answered and they continued on. “I swear, I knew where the building was last semester, but I think I judged where I was going by snow piles for too long.” 

“I think they get around and change signs during the semester break.” She'd gotten turned around twice looking for the campus bookstore last week. “However, I'm just glad they have an amazing snow removal service.”

“And how.” They started up the stairs to their destination. “I liked the snow the first time I saw it, now it's just a damn nuisance.”

“Snow over ice.” Rey deadpanned, grabbing the door and pulling it open, and they went in, the girl grabbing the second door for her. 

“Totally.” She pulled back her hood to reveal her dark hair and she grinned. “I'm Rose, by the way, Rose Tico. Are you wearing a Ravenclaw scarf?”

She returned the smile as they undid their wraps, heading for the lecture hall. “Yes, my boyfriend's aunt made it for me for Christmas. I'm Rey Kenobi.” 

“Cool.” She shook her hair free. “Why did I not think about snow and ice before I left Tampa? I swear, if my roommate hadn't dragged me to Macy's to get a coat in September, I'd have been in a world of trouble.”

“I know what you mean. I forgot to pack a coat as well, I'm from Houston and somehow, when it's over a hundred in August, below freezing temps are the farthest thing from your mind.” They went into the lecture hall and took seats next to each other halfway down and in the center. 

“And how.” She grinned and dug out a notebook. “What's your major?”

“Art.” she shifted in her seat as she took off her coat. “Although I've been thinking of switching to elementary art education, you?”

“Secondary science ed.” Rose frowned at something on her phone. “And my sister Paige just sent me a picture from the beach in Australia.” She made a face. “I should make a snowman.” 

“Given what I've heard about summers in Australia, I don't know which of you is better off.” She chuckled and saw the girl grin as she put her phone into her bag. “You're not certain which science subject you want to teach?”

“I'm keeping it pretty general for right now.” She set a pen on her desk. “I mean, did your high school have a geology option?”

Rey shook her head. “We had astronomy, as did about half of the other high schools in the city. But I think it's partially because of NASA.” 

“Makes sense.” She lifted her chin. “Wish mine had meteorology. Maybe you have to live in a place with seasons. Or live in some posh area of Tornado Alley.” She wrinkled her nose. “I think Oklahoma City would count.” 

“What do you put in your coffee in the morning to make you so happy, is it legal, and where can I get some?” This girl was more of a morning person than Poe.

In response, Rose laughed.

*

Ben questioned himself for about the millionth time if he should have worn a tie. The interviewer told him to dress business casual; and he knew such a phrase could mean any number of things. The first thing he'd done when he got into the waiting room was turn off his phone and stick it in his messenger bag, then resolutely tried to remain calm. When he'd put in the application for the receptionist position at First Order, he hadn't expected to hear back from them. He was certain there were plenty of applicants, and he'd done it simply to test the waters of the market; much as he would like to write all the time and on occasion work in the frame shop, he knew he couldn't live this way forever. He scanned the sleeve of his sweater, making sure Arya hadn't used the thing for a blanket while he'd been in the shower. 

He hadn't told Rey about the interview. 

It wasn't he didn't want her knowing, he just felt she didn't need to know.

There was a soft click and he looked up to see Mitaka, whom he remembering meeting on New Year's Eve coming through the door, and when he caught sight of him, he looked astonished. “Mr. Organa?” 

He stood up, certain Dopheld wasn't his interviewer. “Good morning, and I told you last week, it's Ben. Mr. Organa was my grandfather, and he's been dead for over ten years.” 

The man straightened and manged a smile. “I'm sorry to hear that, Benjamin.”

Ben shrugged. “Well, he lived long enough to see the Red Sox win the Series, so he died a very happy man.” 

“Yes.” He came into the small waiting room, adjusting the hold on the portfolio he was holding. “I was unaware you were here interviewing for First Order.” He straightened, looked him over and smiled. “You don't seem nearly as stiff as you did at the party, if you don't mind my saying.” 

He shrugged, his standard response to when people he either didn't know well or didn't want to invite into his personal life; “Holidays.” it was one simple word that could speak volumes. One of those words that could convey everything without revealing anything.

“I quite understand.” the man replied, tucking the portfolio under his arm as the inner door opened again and a woman wearing a sharp looking suit looked into the room. “Morning, Alicia.” 

“Good morning, Mr. Mitaka.” She shot a look at Ben, then back at the other man, and he saw the slight look of panic in her eyes before returning her gaze to him. “Mr....” she looked at her clipboard.

“Ben, ma'am.” He straightened. “Ben is fine.” 

“Right.” She still looked wary as he took hold of the door. “This way, please.” She straightened her shoulders. “Did you find your way to the building with ease?” 

“No problems whatsoever, the L was running on time today.” He smiled and saw the tiniest flicker in her face. Was she freaked out because he knew Dopheld? The guy was a designer, not Mr. Snoek himself. “And the weather was cooperating.”

“Yes.” She opened a door and waited for him to enter, closing it behind them. “Always a good thing.” Alicia, who still hadn't given him her last name went over to the desk and sat down and indicated the chairs in front of it. 

“Thank you.” He sat down, setting his bag and coat in the other chair. 

She moved a few things on her desk and then opened up a file folder, glancing down at it and then back at him. “Graduate of De Paul with a degree in English?”

“Yes, ma'am. Almost finished with my Masters in Creative Writing.” the woman couldn't be much older than he was, if not younger. 

“And you currently make custom frames at a craft store. Did you work in high school?” She didn't look at him, she was looking at the file.

“Yes, I was a waiter at Macaroni Grille.” He felt the tips of his ears flush; what the hell was so embarrassing about working there?

She picked up a pen. “Do you wear clothes made by First Order?”

“Not everyday, not since high school when I wore their shirts and slacks as my school's dress code called for.” He saw her look up, her expression unreadable. “I wore FO mainly because it's all made in Canada or here in the States.”

“Is that important to you?” Alicia straightened up, looking surprised.

“I personally think it's disgusting that some clothing companies charge a hundred and seventy dollars on a shirt was made by a twelve year old in China who was paid less than ten cents to make it.” He was able to keep the venom out of his tone. “First Order is also one of the few companies to realize people come in all sizes and shapes, so whether you're tall or petite, you don't have to compromise because you can only find one style.” God, he sounded like he was trying to land a job in the marketing department, not answering phones and notifying people of their appointments.

She scribbled something down and then glanced back at the top document in the file. “What would you judge your proficiency is in Dutch and Spanish?”

He thought for a moment. “Well enough I can communicate with minimal difficulty in a country that speaks it as their first language.” 

“Do you speak any French?” She was looking back at her notepad.

“I speak basic French, no where near what one could call fluent, but if it is required for this job, I'm prepared to study.” Shit, he could hear the wretched eagerness in his tone and felt like he was at his interview to get into De Paul all over again. Of course, this was much stranger, she'd barely asked about any of his qualifications such as dependability and computer proficiency.

Alicia looked back up at him, set the pen down and folded her arms on the desk, her chin high. “And do you have any interest in clothing design?” 

Ben raised an eyebrow, and then straightened his own shoulders, smiling. “The closest I come to working with clothing design is light mending and sewing buttons. And on occasion, I'll watch reruns of _Project Runway_.” 

Her expression shifted. “Working at First Order does not require you to always wear FO clothing. However, no labels or brands should be visible. Possible exceptions to this would be on a casual day and you chose to wear something with a sports team logo on it.” She tilted her head to the side. “Since you would essentially be the first person people see when they walk in the door, you would have to dress business casual everyday, with few exceptions.” Her eyes slightly narrowed. “I like your sweater, whose is it?”

He nearly blurted out it was _his_ sweater; then realized she wanted to know who made it. “A company in Reykjavik, and as I don't speak Icelandic, I don't want to even try and pronounce it.” 

*

Rey set her backpack down and dug out her lunchbox, wondering if she'd made a mistake of deciding to eat in one of the cafeterias. It was noisy and the air was thick with the smell of fried food, and an undercurrent of something she couldn't quite put place. She straightened up and put her lunch on the table at the exact same time she heard a tray slap down across from her, and she looked up to see the extremely cheerful face of Rose Tico. “Hello again.”

“Hi, you don't mind if I join you, do you?” She glanced over to her left and then back at her. “My friends are all going through Rush and have to eat in their little groups.” She almost sounded as if she expected Rey was going to tell her to get lost.

“Sure, pull up a chair.” she grinned and unzipped her bag, glancing at the other girl's tray. “Is that supposed to be meatloaf?”

“I think it is.” She poked it with her fork. “The line at the pasta bar was too long.” She looked over at her. “What are you having?”

“Meatloaf sandwich, baby carrots, chips,” she dug the contents out. “Capri Sun, because you can't drink soda all the time, not to mention the water tastes weird here.” 

“No kidding. Mom always says home is always where the water tastes right.” She shrugged and opened her carton of chocolate milk. “So you don't live on campus then?”

Rey shook her head as she picked up one of her sandwich halves. “Scholarship came with tuition, not with room and board. I'll take the former any day of the week.” She wasn't going to bring up anything she didn't need to in this conversation. She took a large bite of her sandwich.

“I don't blame you there.” The girl looked somewhat uncomfortable and focused on her mashed potatoes. “If I said I came up to De Paul because I'd heard enough talk about upholding the family tradition and going to Georgetown, and I wasn't going to the University of Florida because Gainsville is too close to home, would you think I'm terrible?”

She put her half back down, deciding she'd get this all out in a rush. “I can't really say anything, because I'm the third generation in my family to come here. And the reason I came here is because my parents and grandparents all passed away before I was five, and I grew up in the system in Houston, and De Paul is about the only thing I remember about them, so I sort of had to come here.” 

Rose held her hands up towards her. “That is a tragically beautiful story. See, your reasoning makes sense. I think it's wonderful, really sad, but wonderful.” She pulled back and picked up her fork. “So how was your Christmas?”

“Pretty good,” she opened her plastic container of carrots, “I spent it with my roommate's family in South Dakota. It was my first white Christmas.”

“That's cool.” The girl answered, spearing some meatloaf on her fork and then adding mashed potatoes. “You have any more classes today?”

Rey kept her focus on her food. “Early Art History and Composition Two, you?”

“Psychology and Theater Appreciation.” She shrugged. “Monday, Wednesdays and Fridays are almost all Gen Eds for me this semester. I only have Geology Lab and Teaching Methods on Tuesdays and Thursdays.”

“How many hours?” It struck her how nice it was to have someone to talk to while she ate; she hadn't had that since Freshmen Orientation.

“Sixteen. You?” Rose ate some more of her lunch.

“Twenty-one.” She saw the girl's jaw drop. “I already know how insane it sounds, and I haven't even been through the first week yet.”

“You're a braver soul than I am, Rey Kenobi.” She answered and they both went back to eating.

*

Leia couldn't believe her luck when she heard that there was no inclement weather in the forecast until Thursday. As she raced down I-90, bound for Cleveland, a feeling of elation was settling over her, and she had nearly shouted for joy when she had crossed over the New York border into Pennsylvania. She was _leaving_. She had _left_ that damn city; everyone else in her family had always seemed so desperate to escape, but she never understood, not until recently. Now she was gone and on her way. The moving truck would arrive at her loft late tomorrow, and, while she had first planned to drive the eleven and a half hours straight, had decided she would stop for the night in Greenfield, just outside of Indianapolis.

She didn't want to try and unpack her car in a strange parking garage at one in the morning.

She wouldn't have wanted to try and unpack her car at a new house in a St. Louis suburb at one in the morning.

Sighing, she drove over the state line into Ohio and her car's blue-tooth went off, and she smiled when she heard the sounds of 'Obvious Child' – the ring-tone she used for Ben. She hit the answer button on her console. “Good afternoon, BB.”

“Hey.” He coughed. “I was calling to see how your drive is going.” 

She kept her grip on the wheel and let her shoulders relax, “So far, so good. I just got into Ohio.” She paused. “I'm going to stop for lunch on the other side of Cleveland.” She tapped her fingers against the wheel. “Reminds me, you don't have any keys to the house, do you?”

There was a shuffling noise on his end. “Uh, I have a key to the door next to the garage, I can mail it to the Quirks before the end of the week, if that works.” He coughed. “Did you sell the house?”

“It works. And yes, I sold the house. I don't know how it happened, but somehow, I left for work on Tuesday morning and the relator had seven offers by the time I got back.” she let out a breath, then brightened, the knowledge that with the house sold, she was almost completely done with Buffalo. “How's your semester going?”

Ben laughed. “Heading to my first class right now.” There was a pause. “I had a job interview this morning.” 

“Oh?” Leia checked her speedometer as she saw a sign stating the speed limit had gone from eighty to seventy. “For what?”

There was a pause. “To work as a receptionist for First Order. You know, the clothing company?”

“I know First Order, Ben. I think half the clothes in my closet are made by them.” She chuckled. “How'd it go?”

“Not bad.” He cleared his throat. “Actually, I think it went pretty well, they're supposed to call me before the end of the week.” There was an odd noise and his voice suddenly didn't sound so distant. She guessed he had gone inside. “You're not going to try and make the drive in one shot, are you?”

“Hell no.” She slowed down even more as she saw there was construction up ahead and the road was going to become one lane in two miles. Who in their right mind scheduled road work in January? “I'll stop in Indiana before dark, I don't want to unpack my car in a strange city in the middle of the night.” 

“I don't blame you there.” He answered and there was more shuffling.

“Where are you?” She frowned, and then there was a soft thump. “Class?”

“Lunch.” He answered. “I'm not eating in any of the cafeterias on this campus. The smell of fried foods would prove too tempting. Not to mention I swear I've seen plates full of food walk themselves to the trash cans.” 

She snickered. “All college dining halls are like that. We should really warn Anna.” The traffic started to back up as cars tried to get into her lane. “I'm going to have to let you go, I'm in a work zone and I know I need to be off my phone, hands free or not.” 

“No problem. Stay safe, okay?” There was a rustling noise.

“I will. Take care of yourself Benny.” She hit the end-call button, and then punched another button on her console. “Radio station roulette.” without thinking, she hit preset number two after finding only static to start out with, and a moment later, she nearly laughed at the sound of Billy Joel's 'Moving Out' filled the car. “I always did like this song.” 

*

Rey knew Ben was already home when she checked the mailbox and it was empty. She dropped her bag on the floor of the elevator as it started up and she leaned back against the wall, glad to be done with her Monday. After Lit class, she and Rose had parted ways as she headed off to Geology and she'd been bound for Acrylics, and they'd met up again for lunch, and somehow, the girl was still just as bubbly and friendly as she had been earlier. “Good for you, Rey, you made a new friend.” She chuckled as the elevator slowed and she lugged up her bag, adjusting her hold on her keys and stepped out onto her floor. “Home again, home again.” 

She let herself in, the rich, homey smell of the soup in the crock-pot was heavy in the air and her stomach rumbled as she relocked the door and hung up her coat. “Anyone home?” 

In reply, Arya came into the room, chirping and stood up on her hind legs, clinging to her jeans. 

“Oh, hello.” She leaned down to rub the cat behind the ears and the animal dropped down and took off again. “Ben?” She called, frowning. She unlaced her boots and padded towards his office. “You're here, aren't you?” His office was empty, and the bathroom light was out. “Kitchen.” she muttered and walked around the corner and found him at the far end of the room, pulling things out of the dryer. “Hey stranger.” 

Ben jumped slightly and then he appeared around the dryer door. “Hi. Didn't hear you come in.” 

“It's okay.” She went to the sink and washed her hands. “Did you get all your errands run?” 

“Yeah.” He shut the door and then followed her out of the kitchen, carrying his clothes basket. “How was your first day back at school?”

“Not bad.” She went over the dining room table and looked through her stack of mail, most of it junk. “I think I made a new friend.” She heard him set his basket on another chair. “I know, this sounds like a silly conversation, and...”

“It's not silly at all.” Ben answered, and she saw him grin. “I'm surprised Finn and Poe aren't after you to make more of them. You need more company besides myself, the Phasmas and Arya.” 

She stood up and kissed his cheek. “Are you teasing me?” 

“Maybe.” He returned the kiss, his lips lingering for a moment on her forehead. “But you know what I mean.”

“I do.” She went over to her backpack to retrieve her lunchbox and set it in the kitchen, grabbing a bottle of ginger ale from the fridge before coming back at he was setting down a shirt on the table. “Her name's Rose and if she was any more cheerful, she'd be a Disney cartoon character.” She sat back down. “She's from Florida and has the same issue with the cold I do.” 

“I can believe it” He groaned slightly as he bent over. “That's not supposed to hurt.” He smiled over at her. “I may have gotten all my errands run today, but I acquired a few more I need to do tomorrow.” He took a breath. “I think I may have a new job.” 

“Really?” She looked up, surprised. “Where?”

“First Order.” His cheeks turned slightly pink. “Working full time as a receptionist.” 

Her eyes widened and she jumped up, hugging him. “That's awesome, Ben! Congratulations!” 

He returned the embrace, lifting her off the floor slightly as he did. “Thank you. I've still got to pass a background check and a drug test, but I just got off the phone with them before you came home.” He sighed, looking slightly contrite. “If I get this job, I'll have to hand in my two-weeks at Michael's before Friday.” 

Rey kissed his chin and pulled away. “Well, I'm certain Lurch and the others won't begrudge you your opportunity.” She sat back, taking a drink from her ginger ale.

“Yeah.” He folded another shirt. “Does Rose live on campus?”

She nodded and stood up, going over to the couch and sitting down, deciding she needed a more comfortable place to sit. “She's a secondary science education major.” she closed her eyes, feeling herself relax. “We ate together at lunch too; I think she was jealous of my sandwich.” She smiled. “Which I can understand, considering we were both having meatloaf and hers was drenched in some of the worst looking gravy I'd ever seen.” There was a rustle of noise and a moment later, she felt him sit down next to her. “But the mashed potatoes looked decent.”

“It's extremely hard to mess up mashed potatoes. Particularly if they're instant.” His arm came around her shoulder, and a moment later, she opened her eyes and crawled into his lap. “Oh, hello.” 

She giggled and kissed him again before resting her head against his collarbone, letting out a happy sigh as his arms settled around her waist. “We haven't had a good afternoon snuggle in a while.”

“No.” His hand slowly moved up and down her spine, and she heard him let out a soft sigh. “We haven't had time for anything, really.” She felt his other hand slip under her shirt, resting against the small of her back. “Okay?”

“Okay.” She replied and his hand moved higher, and his other hand joined the first, and she pulled back enough so he could have easier access, and she bit her lip as his hands came up to cover her bra, and his expression changed; and he smiled. “What is it?”

“You're wearing a new bra.” His fingers slowly traced the outline of the garment. “I've seen your laundry and undressed you several dozen times. I've never seen or felt lace on a single one of them.” He moved his hand back and brushed her nipples over the fabric with his thumbs.

Rey let out a slight giggle. “It fit and was on sale. Being cute was an added bonus.” She hadn't even been paying attention to color or style when she'd flipped through the sale rack in her size, and when she'd put on the royal blue number she was currently wearing, she'd almost felt racy, even though it was rather modest. “Would you like to...” her sentence was finished by her stomach rumbling, and she leaned against him, chuckling.

“Someone needs their dinner. So do I.” Ben's hands slid back down and came to rest on her rear. “We can go back to this after we eat.” He stood up, still holding her and she straightened her legs so she could put her feet on the floor.

“Good idea.” She kissed his chin, and walked towards the kitchen and getting out two bowls. “What class did you have today?”

“Adaptive Screenwriting. The gist of which is I'm going to have to take an established work and write a script for a movie of that piece.” He folded his arms, leaning against the threshold. “Thinking of doing one of Anne Bronte's works. Most people forget there's a third Bronte sister, the way they forget there's a third Hemsworth. My other class is Writing Portfolio.” 

She took the lid off the crock-pot and heard him go behind her and open the pantry door. “Speaking of adaptations, whose recipe for chicken tortilla soup is this?”

“Bobby Flay's, but with half the jalapenos.” He handed her the ladle. “They're not like potatoes, where you want them in every spoonful.”

“The only time you should is if you're eating chilli.” She retorted as she filled her bowl. “And even then, it's debatable.” 

“And how.” He moved so she could go into the dining room and a few minutes later he came out, carrying his bowl and the bag of chips. 

*

Rather than search for a place to eat in an unfamiliar city, Leia elected to have pizza brought to her hotel room. She nearly laughed at the simplicity of it all; calling up a local Papa John's, and ordering her dinner, knowing tomorrow, she'd undoubtedly eat it cold while completing her drive to St. Louis. While she waited for her meal to arrive, she toed off her shoes, groaning slightly in relief. The road from outside Cleveland to the Indiana border had been a tangle of construction traffic – and she was glad she'd decided to stop on the east side of Indianapolis, before she hit that city's rush hour.

“More than halfway there.” She muttered and turned the television on, flipping through the channels until she found a local news station. “Just need a weather report.” She fell back on the bed, wondering when her back had started hurting. 

Her phone went off and she fumbled for it, and rolled up to a sit before answering. “I'm fine, Luke. You don't need to fuss over me.”

“Oh, bother fussing over you.” Her brother retorted. “I'm the eldest, it's my job, even if there is only two of us.” 

She let out a sigh. “I know, but of the two of you, I've got a better chance of getting you to stop than Ben.”

“Point taken.” He replied. “Where are you?”

“Greenfield, waiting for pizza.” she glanced at the television. “And watching the news. I've never had Papa John's, do you know if it's any good?” 

“Well, we don't have any place that delivers out here, but Pizza Hut in Hastings is pretty good. It's not Uno's. ” He coughed. “Reminds me, I was looking for photographs for Anna's graduation slide-show, do you remember taking Ben to Galveston?”

Leia sat up straighter; of course Luke would have a similar photograph to the one she had found and sent to Ben. “You have a photograph of Anna, Ben and Rey on the coast too?”

“Shit, is that who the other girl in the picture is?” Her brother laughed. “I had no idea it was her!” There was a rustling noise and she heard him talking to Mara. “I'll be right there.” He coughed. “Dinner's on the table.”

“I understand. You want to ask Mom about the pictures or you want me to?” She rose to her feet, pinching the bridge of her nose. “Or I can ask Ben. I sent him the photograph I found.” 

“I'll call Mom after dinner. I haven't asked Mara, maybe she remembers.” He chuckled. “Drive carefully, okay?” 

“I will.” She sighed. “Stay safe yourself.” 

“Sure. Talk to you later.” The call ended and she sighed, tossing her phone on the bed, and someone knocked on the hotel room door. She walked over and glanced out the peephole, and smiled at the sight of a young woman dressed in a coat and wearing a Papa John's hat. She opened the door, and the girl looked up.

“One medium Hawaiian, pan crust?” She opened the red bag she was carrying.

“That's me.” She smiled as the girl handed her the receipt to sign, which she did after adding the tip. “Do you know how far away St. Louis is here? How long of a drive?”

The girl handed her the pizza. “Around five hours, give or take the traffic. People in Illinois have no idea how to drive. Also, there's usually tons of State Troopers on I-64 who love giving out-of-state drivers tickets for anything. So if it's not hands free, stay off your phone.” 

“Thanks.” She nodded at the girl who stuffed the receipt into the pocket on the front of her bag. “Drive carefully.”

“Sure. Enjoy your dinner, better ingredients, better pizza, that's Papa John's!” She grinned and turned up the hallway.

“Good work, kid.” She said to herself, stepping back into her room and setting the pizza on the table. She lifted the lid and the wonderfully rich smell of cheese accented with the sweetness of pineapple made her grin. “And no one to comment on the toppings.” She pulled out a slice and picked up a napkin, going over to sit on the bed. “I don't even know what's on on Monday nights.” 

*

Ben set the ladle in the drying rack and then, after making sure Arya's water dish was full, walked out of the kitchen and found Rey sitting on the couch, idly flipping channels. “No homework, huh?”

“No.” She stopped on _Master Chef_ and he came over to join her, and she instantly curled up against him, resting her head on his collarbone. “More snuggles.” 

“You'll get no objections from me there.” He put one arm around her, holding her to him and when her legs came up to lay across his lap, rested the other on her thigh. “Comfortable?” 

“Uh huh.” She rubbed her cheek against him, and let out a soft sigh as her arms came around his waist. “Why are you always so warm?” 

“No idea.” He chuckled and leaned back, closing his eyes as he ran his fingers along her spine, simply enjoying the moment. The jumbled thoughts of his day were slipping away and for the first time in a while, he actually felt relaxed. Next to him, he felt Rey shift and a moment later, he knew she'd moved so she was sitting on his legs. “Yes?” He cracked an eye to look at her. “Something on your mind?” 

Rey nuzzled her face against his neck. “I think we were in the middle of something before we ate dinner.” He felt her lips against his ear. “Weren't we?”

“Hm.” He slid one hand under her shirt, moving slowly. “I think you might be right.” He ran his tongue alone her ear, loving the sharp intake of breath she gave him. “I seem to recall...” He moved his hand up over her left breast. “We were around here, or close to it?”

She pulled away, nodding and looking down at him as he slid his other hand under her shirt to join the first. “You were remarking on the fact I had on a new bra.” She giggled faintly as his fingers brushed her stomach. “That tickles.”

He caught her lips with his, the kiss sweet and soft. “I tend to do that, don't I?” 

“Well, it happens.” She answered, chuckling as he nuzzled her neck, and he pulled both hands from her, going down to cup her rear, then he shifted the two of them so she was lying against the arm of the couch, a pillow between it and her, with him over her. “Although you do it intentionally...” 

He arched an eyebrow at her, and he saw her eyes widen. “Are you saying you want to be tickled?” He leaned down and kissed her gently. “I wouldn't do that, you know me.” 

“True.” Her hand slid into his hair and she tugged on his bottom lip with both of hers. “But you can be a wretched tease.” 

He pulled back from the kiss, a slight thrill raced through him. “Now that almost sounds like a request.” He smirked and pushed her shirt up, and she raised her arms so he could remove the garment completely, and he ran his fingers along the band of lace trimming her bra. “What do you think?”

Rey squirmed slightly under him, but her face betrayed her with a coy smile. “Don't be mean.” 

He chuckled and ran nose along her sternum. “Mean, Miss Kenobi?” He settled himself against her, his head on her collarbone as he reached up and slid one strap of her bra down, just enough to reveal her nipple. “If I were mean, would I do this?” He shifted so he was kneeling on the floor, his weight off of her as his mouth closed around her nipple and licking it slowly.

“No...” Her eyes closed and she let out a hiss as her hand slid into his hair. “Ben...” 

He smiled against her skin and kept his gaze on her face as he tightened his lips around her nipple and began to suck and lave at it in earnest, loving the way her lips parted, letting out tiny, breathy gasps. His slid one hand down her front and onto her thigh, then moved it back up onto the front of her jeans, and Rey let out a whine. He released her nipple with a wet pop and smiled up at her as her hand pushed his hair from her face. “Comfortable?”

“Uh huh.” Her eyes flicked down towards his hand and then back at him. “You?” 

He chuckled and nodded, tugging the strap of her bra down further, running his tongue along the newly exposed skin, and at the same time, slid his hand under the waistband of her jeans, and Rey nearly bolted in surprise. “Okay?” He stilled, watching her carefully.

She licked her lips and nodded. “I'm good.” She ran her knuckles against his cheek. “Come here.” 

Ben pulled his hand away and rose back up onto the couch, moving deftly so he was underneath, his hands resting on her hips. “Better?”

Rey leaned down and brushed her lips with his. “Better.” 

He wrapped his arms around her and claimed her lips with his.


	21. Turning Points

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Not bad.” She grimaced, rolling her shoulders. “I think my Ceramics professor might be nuts, but then, aren't all the professors borderline certifiable?”
> 
> “As someone who is diagnosed as bat-shit crazy, I'm not allowed to comment. Besides, they're probably lucky and drugs actually help them.” He turned the stove on and grinned, already feeling better. “You run into Rose today?”

Rey silently cursed when the alarm on her phone went off. She reached out from under the covers, fumbling for it and glared at the screen. “Augh!” She hit her head against the pillow, wondering how five-thirty could feel so awful, when she was no stranger to waking up early. But her first class was at eight, and she sat up, looking over her shoulder at Ben's back. He mumbled something in his slumber and then began to snore lightly. “Yeah. You go on and sleep.” She slid out of bed and tucked the blankets against him, and, taking her phone, padded quietly out of his room and headed for the kitchen. While she waited for her coffee, she filled Arya's water dish, and put a scoopful of kibble in her dish. “Don't need you waking up Ben before he needs to.” As she went back to retrieve her mug, the cat made her appearance and chirped in her direction. “You're welcome.” 

She leaned against the counter, closing her eyes as she took a sip of coffee. The apartment was still and quiet, save for the thrum of the heater and the sound of Arya munching on her kibble. A low, long howling sound echoed from her left, and she shuddered at the thought of looking at the current wind chill. A moment later, she felt something brush against her leg and she looked down as the cat sat down on her feet. “I'm wearing socks, you know.” Arya chirped and Rey shook her head, taking another drink from her mug. “How often do you sleep, anyway?” 

“She sleeps about an hour, every three hours.” Ben muttered from the front of the kitchen and came down to join her, kissing her forehead. “Morning.”

“Morning. What are you doing up? I though you didn't have to work until later.” She smiled and took another drink while he fixed his own coffee.

“Errands.” He shook his head and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Besides, my alarm goes off at six.” 

She nodded, taking a drink from her mug as Arya moved away from her and went to sit on Ben's feet instead. “She do that often?”

He smiled and took his mug from the maker, holding it both hands. “She probably thinks our feet need warming up, since we don't have fur.” He looked down. “She doesn't get how socks work.” He took a drink from his mug, chuckling. “The first weekend she was here, she ran into the window of my office several times trying to catch a pigeon.”

Rey laughed. “I've heard her hiss at those birds. She _hates_ pigeons.” She took another drink of coffee.

“And how.” He smiled down at his cat. “I went and found a stuffed pigeon toy a few weeks after she came to live here,” he took a sip of coffee. “I gave it to her, went off to class for the day, when I returned, there was a trail of plush penguin parts from one end of the apartment to the other and she sat in the middle of the destruction, completely pleased with herself.”

She shook her head and looked back at Arya, who stepped off of Ben's feet and headed back towards her food bowl. “How'd you sleep?”

“Not bad.” He reached over and took her feet hand in his, squeezing it. “Always sleep better when we go to bed at the same time. You?”

She closed the distance between them, setting her mug on the counter behind him, wrapping her arms around his waist. “Wonderful. Didn't like it when my alarm went off.” She rested her head against his chest and felt his hands settle around her waist. “You're always so warm.” She smiled as she felt one of his hands move up and down her spine. “How many errands do you have today?” She moved slightly so she could pick up her coffee cup and take a sip.

“Two, which I should be able to finish before getting to work. You should be home first today, I think.” He kissed the top of her head. “Miss Twenty-One hours.” 

She groaned as she set her mug down. “You're going to tease me all semester, aren't you?”

“No, not all semester.” He chuckled, giving her another hug. “Just every now and then.” He kissed the top of her head. “You want some breakfast? Real breakfast?”

“Do we have time?” She pulled out of his arms, much as she hated it, and took her mug in both hands.

He nodded and went up to the fridge. “Nothing fancy, but it's not like it takes forever to scramble some eggs and microwave some bacon.” He drank some more coffee. “It's the dish-washing. Always takes more time than the actual cooking.”

“Pity we can't get Arya to do the dishes.” She laughed and crouched down and pulled out the non-stick skillet from the cupboard. 

“She'd wash the dishes if she had thumbs.” He remarked and she stood up in time to see him put the carton of eggs and the bacon on the counter behind them, along with the shredded cheese, milk, and butter. “When's your first class?” he got out a bowl and started cracking eggs against the rim, tossing the shells in the sink behind them.

“Eight.” She went to the hutch at the front of the kitchen and got out three plates, setting one on the counter and the other two closer to the stove. “Beginning Ceramics.” She started layering paper towels on the plate. “Followed by Western Civ and Intro to Multimedia.” She paused. “Tuesdays and Thursdays are my short days. Which translates to studio hours once the semester gets going.” She opened the package of bacon. “How many slices do you want?”

“Three, please.” He added milk to the eggs and started to whisk them together with a fork.

She frowned, noting Ben seemed rather tense. “Did those eggs piss you off or something?”

“No.” He shook his head and turned the stove on. “Once again, I find myself cleaning up a mess that someone else made. I'm particularly annoyed because said mess was made by another adult who's supposed to be old enough to know better.”

Rey took a drink from her mug. “Since you said you had a civil conversation with her yesterday, I'm guessing it's not your mother.” She frowned. “What did your father do now?” She still had a thing or twenty or five hundred she wanted to tell Han Solo.

He dumped the egg mixture into the skillet. “You'd think with the relationship my parents had, they could have a simple divorce. Separate lives, separate money, everything already cut neatly into his and hers, and given the fact I'm over eighteen, custody's a non-issue, sign your name on the dotted lines, done.” He poked the eggs with the spoon. “However, my father, in what he most likely thought was him being fair, decided since there was already legal work started, it'd be a good time to do a little extra work. Namely the trust fund I inherited from my paternal grandparents. My father thinks it should be split, because hey, there are now two kids instead of one.” 

Rey gave him an odd look, then made a face as she put things back in the fridge and put the bacon in the microwave. “Uh, no disrespect to Diana, but weren't both of your paternal grandparents dead before you turned eleven? You were the only grandchild and since it was left to _you_ , you're legally an adult, and therefore, he can't do that?”

He grasped the handle of the pan and moved the eggs a little more. “You'd like to think it would be so simple, but I can't even touch the fund until I'm twenty five, and my father is executor of the will. Hence the reason I was sitting in your Life Drawing class naked for a bit of a cushion to get through the holidays.” 

She didn't want to ask how much money he was talking about as she took a sip of coffee and got forks out of the drawer. “It'd be an even split, right?”

“More or less.” He snorted, and she saw him roll his eyes. “It's a load of paperwork, but with it being divided, Diana's half would get the chance to garner more interest than mine. The lawyer my dad left in charge of this thinks it's unfair. Particularly since my mother surrendered the jewelery she inherited from my grandmother back to him for Diana, and therefore adds to her inheritance, another matter entirely.” 

“It's _your_ money.” she stated as the microwave went off and she went to retrieve the bacon. She'd never discussed the size of the trust fund she had, and knew it wouldn't be polite to ask him about the size of his. “Considering the shit your dad put you through, he should have left well enough alone.”

Ben lifted the pan off the stove and dished up the eggs. “We can't bring logic into this Miss Kenobi, because Mr. Lawyer thinks I don't know my legal rights. I grew up in a house with a cutthroat attorney, I've known law since before he finished his undergrad. It's really quite simple. Subtract the value of the jewelry from Diana's half, put it mine and be done with it. It's not like I'll spend everything once I can access it.”

She grimaced and brought the bacon plate over to the stove. “Um, strange question... and you don't have to answer this, but um... how do you pay for school?” Rey saw his expression change. “sorry, I didn't want to...”

“My other grandparents.” He put the empty pan back on an unused burner and turned off the stove. “Grandpa Bail left behind a fund to be used solely for higher education. When he died, there was only Anna and I, so it was put into two accounts. But I haven't used all of mine and I won't, because I don't need or want a doctorate, what's left will revert into Anna's fund, and what my grandmother leaves behind will also go into the fund for the rest of her siblings.” He sighed. “Cheerful conversation to have before the first cup of coffee is finished.” He divided up the bacon and handed her a plate. “Let's eat and talk about something else.” He took up his mug. “Like the weather.” 

“Good idea.” She took it and the two of them headed for the dining room.

*

Leia shut the door as the movers left her loft, locked it, (remembering to use the chain) and then leaned against it, trying not to laugh. She had left Indiana early, wanting to beat the start of rush hour in Indianapolis and arrive in St. Louis after that city's was over. She'd stopped in Effingham for a short breakfast in Hardee's, gassed up and, after switching both her watch and car to central time, called the realtor to state she'd when she expected to arrive so she could pick up the keys and paperwork. It was a little strange to look out the windows and see buildings, not houses and trees. 

She supposed her new home was roughly the same size as Ben's in Chicago, despite the differences in their layout. The kitchen was directly past the front door to her right, open to the living area beyond. On the left was a small laundry room and going through the foyer, there was a doorway led to the master bedroom with an en-suite, and an archway separated it from the living space beyond. The kitchen was open to the living/dining room, stools left by the previous tenant were tucked against the counter. On the other side of the main room was another bed and bath, and a set of stairs on the far wall led to the bonus space overlooking the floor below. She already planned on using the area for her office.

The place was all wood floors, exposed brick and metal, modern and stark contrasts. Neutral shades everywhere; she was definitely going to have to add some color before too long.

She crossed the living room to the windows, setting her fingers against the glass to take in her new view.

She was ten stories up, office buildings to her left and right, as well as a chunk of Busch Stadium, and beyond, the Gateway Arch. She lifted her chin, smiling faintly at the sunshine attempting to break through the gray clouds, and a long barge, laden with boxcars, moved down the Mississippi River. “This will take some adjustment.” She pulled away from the window and turned to look at the stacks of unpacked boxes, nearly all of them had been left in the center of the living room. “Well, if the only thing I forgot to do was label most of the boxes, I'd say I'm doing fairly well.” 

As it turned out, the only boxes with a room written on them were the kitchen, done in Jen Quirk's perfectly legible handwriting. Others simply had either contents – books – or a description – fragile – leaving Leia with a rather Christmas-morning like joy of opening a box, examining it, and then determining where it went. She was in the middle of putting away her clothes (which she'd packed in her luggage set) when her phone rang. She pulled it from her back pocket, glanced at the screen, and hit accept. “Hi, Mom.” 

“Good afternoon sweetie, I didn't catch you driving, did I?” Padme sounded tired. “Or are you stopped for the night?”

She bit back a laugh. “Middle of unpacking, actually.” She held the phone against her shoulder with her chin as she shut her dresser. “The drive looked a lot longer when I did it on Map Quest, but I made good time and the weather's decent.”

“True enough.” She chuckled. “How much more do you have to unpack?” 

“I decided to start with the kitchen, now I'm doing my bedroom. Get the necessary rooms done first.” She went and sat down on the trunk at the foot of her bed. The one that used to be in the living room at the old house. “How are you?”

“I'm good, honey. I talked with your brother last night. The reason the two of you don't remember the trip to Galveston is because you didn't go.” She coughed. “It was just the grandparents and grand-kids.” 

Leia frowned, “I must have been wrong about the ages in the photograph, I thought Ben was eleven.” 

“He was going to be eleven.” She chuckled. “It was the summer you sent Ben to South Dakota. Your stepfather and I flew with him down to Galveston, and then flew to Sioux Falls after the weekend.” 

“Shit.” She pinched the bridge of her nose, more of the memory flooding to her. “That was the awful summer, wasn't it? It was right after Han's mother died, well, it was April, but still...”

“The Kenobi family didn't fare too well either.” Padme cursed under her breath. “I distinctly remember talking about Alexander's relationship with his brother in law with Satine. She told me not to worry, it was all handled.” 

Leia snorted. “So I guess that makes him the Kenobi who forgot to read his wife's brother the riot act.” She shook her head in disgust. “And don't tell me if Luke was informed of Rey getting dumped into the foster care system, he wouldn't even have bothered with the plane, he'd have started driving south within the hour.” 

“I know.” She let out a breath. “So, how was the journey?”

“Long, gray and a lot of trees.” She managed a smile, and cleared her throat. “I can see the river from my apartment. Did I tell you?”

“No, honey, you didn't.” A lightness came into her mother's voice. “Tell me more about your new home, sweetie. You probably need to take a break, it's what, half past four?”

She looked at her watch, almost shocked to see the time. “You're right.” She laughed. “New city, new time zone.” She chuckled and leaned down to untie her shoes. “I'm also going to have to learn the about the weather here. The Rocky Mountains and the Gulf Coast are suddenly a lot closer, which means I need to worry about something new instead of a nor'easter and lake effect snow.” 

In reply, Padme laughed.

*

Ben covered a yawn as he let himself into the apartment. It was shortly after seven, and he was relieved to be home. He smiled as he shut the door, taking off his coat and boots, and Arya gave up on trying to climb up his jeans in favor of playing with the laces. “You must have been bored today.” He rubbed the cat behind her ears. “Missed you.” He double checked the lock and tossed his keys on the table. “Rey?” He saw her coat and boots next to his, which meant she was here. “Rey?” He called again, and then heard a thump. “There you are.” He went into the kitchen and leaned against the fridge as she picked up her laundry basket. “Evening.” 

Rey let out a shriek and dropped the basket, pulling one of her ear-buds free. “I didn't know you were home!”

“Sorry.” He went down towards her, setting his hands on her shoulders and kissing the top of her head. “Didn't mean to scare you.” 

“I know.” She hugged him before pulling away to turn off her phone's Spotify app and set both it and the ear-buds on the counter. “How was your day?” 

“Frustrating.” He groaned, rubbing his eyes, remembering his trip to the law offices. “They reexamined the will of my grandparents, and while there had been a clause for splitting the fund in the event that there were more children, it's only allowed if said children are the issue of the marriage between Leia Organa and Han Solo.” He shook his head. “Diana still gets the jewelery, and you'd think it'd be a simple matter of his and hers, but Timothy, the lawyer, says because the legal process started and what not, he says we're going to have to involve the Anslans.” He let out a disgusted noise. “Well, he has to contact them about the whole thing in the first place, but states there's a possibility the Anslans could make a counter-claim in an attempt to break the will on Diana's behalf and split the fund.”

“This is going to get ugly, isn't it?” Rey shook her head and then smiled. “Why don't we make dinner and talk about something else. Besides, if we were right about Kurt Anslan hiring a private investigator, his ass is grass.”

“Food sounds great.” He walked up opened the pantry, scanning the contents, more than willing to change the subject. “What sounds good? Soup? Cereal?” He looked back over his shoulder as she dropped her basket into the other room.

“Pasta?” She came over to join him. “We could try out the vodka sauce.” 

“Good idea.” He reached over and grabbed the jar, along with a box of spaghetti. “How was your day?” He went down to the stove and, after washing his hands, filled a pot with water.

“Not bad.” She grimaced, rolling her shoulders. “I think my Ceramics professor might be nuts, but then, aren't all the professors borderline certifiable?”

“As someone who is diagnosed as bat-shit crazy, I'm not allowed to comment. Besides, they're probably lucky and drugs actually help them.” He turned the stove on and grinned, already feeling better. “You run into Rose today?”

“Cafeteria. Still perky, still won't tell me how she does it.” She paused, and he turned to see her rub her temple.“Uh, you got a package in the mail today.” She left the kitchen and came back a moment later. “Return address is in St. Louis. Guess it's from your mom.” She held it out to him.

“Don't know what it could be.” He wasn't expecting anything, nor had she mentioned it when he talked to her yesterday. He pulled the strip on the cardboard and unfolded the box, lifting out something silver wrapped in bubble wrap. “She must have found an old photo she thought I'd want.” He took off the covering, setting it on the counter and stared down at the picture frame in his hand. “Holy shit.” 

“What?” Rey stood next to him and he heard her inhale sharply. “Is that...”

“Yeah...” He touched the glass, almost in disbelief. Three kids standing on the beach, him in the middle, two dark haired little girls on either side of him.“Anna, you and me. This was taken in Galveston.” 

“When did...” She took the frame, her face full of confusion. “How old are we?” 

“I'm ten and a half, Anna had just turned four and you're almost five.” He pinched the bridge of his nose, remembering a few other details. “Shit, I haven't thought about this trip in years. It was only for a weekend, Memorial Day. We all went with our grandparents, the Kenobis, the Jades, and the Organas. After it was over, I flew back to South Dakota with the Jades, spent one of the best summers ever out in De Smet.” 

“I don't remember any of it.” She pulled at her bottom lip, “wait...was there a place that served giant ice cream sundaes? Like, stupid big. And an indoor jungle gym kind of thing?” She set the frame down, rubbing her temple.

“Yeah, yeah there was.” He suddenly remembered something else about the trip and he covered his mouth to smother his laughter. It hadn't exactly been funny when it happened, but looking back, it sort of was.

“What happened?” She narrowed her eyes. “What, did Anna and I have a fight over Disney Princesses?”

He coughed. “Well, I shouldn't laugh at this.” He went down to the fridge and took out two ginger ales. “You have to remember this was in May, and Anna was brought to the States the previous October. Even though she was four, and had almost spent a year in the country, her English was still really basic.” He handed her one of the cans, going back to the stove. “Half the time she'd say a sentence in a mixture of English and Hindi. It also didn't help she talked fast, so unless you were paying close attention, or hadn't spent much time with her, it sounded like gibberish.”

Rey covered her eyes, her face slowly turning pink. “I don't know if I want to know where this is going.”

“We were all kids.” He opened his can and took a drink, smiling. “Anyway, Anna would spin off in a string of her mixed way of speaking, and you kept asking why she talked so funny. Or rather, that's how it started.” 

“Oh god, and you were probably Anna's defender, weren't you?” She pulled her hands away and looked ready to crawl under the floor, “I don't believe this...”

“It wasn't bad, until Saturday at dinner.” He opened the jar of sauce and added it to a pan. “We were at this pizza place and Anna went off in a torrent of her broken English, if I remember right, she was talking about the ponies she'd ridden, comparing them to her horse, Penny.” He made a face. “I think that's what it was about. It was something along those lines. Anyway, you looked at her and I do remember this clearly, because of my response.” He ducked his head and did his best not to grin. “You wrinkled your nose and said, quite clearly, 'why can't you talk right? Are you stupid'?” 

“Augh...” Rey was pink from her neck up. “I didn't, did I?”

“Yes, yes you did, and I think Aunt Mara might actually have the video evidence.” He coughed. “The table went silent and I was sitting next to Anna, and before any of the adults could say anything, I leaned forward and asked, 'why can't you talk nice? Are you mean?” He chuckled. “Your jaw dropped and a second later, Anna pipes up with 'talk nice' and for the rest of the weekend, any time you said 'talk right!' to her, she'd fire back with 'talk nice!'” 

Her expression widened, “The two of you ganged up on me!” she shrieked.

Ben went over and took her shoulders in his hands and kissed her forehead. “We were kids, Rey. And you and Anna were really little.” he took up the frame again and held it up, noting the happy expressions on all their faces. Nothing faked, simple, sweet, innocent joy – the smile on Rey's face would cease and the light would leave his eyes. “I hated my haircut.” 

“Yeah, your ears are kind of huge.” She giggled as she took the frame in both of her hands and he went back to the stove to check on the water. “And they still are.” 

“Hey!” He turned, leaned forward, and kissed the tip of her nose. “Talk nice.” He quipped, grinning. She screwed her face up into a pout and he shook his head as he pulled back and dumped the pasta into the boiling water. “You're lucky we didn't remember this at Christmas, or Daisy and Elijah would have torn through their home movies in search of the footage.” 

She took a drink of ginger ale before getting the colander out from under the counter and set it in the sink. “They still might. Odds are, there's more than one picture of the three of us in Galveston.” 

He nodded, getting out a spoon out of the drying rack to stir the sauce. “You think there might be some in the photo album my grandma gave you?”

She shook her head. “I think there's some of me with my grandparents, but I don't think there's one of the three of us. I'll check after dinner.” He heard the fridge open again. “Salad?”

“Sounds great.” Ben leaned back against the counter, looking up at Rey. “You know, you can invite Rose over sometime if you want. Just make sure she's okay with cats, or doesn't have allergies so I can do a little extra cleaning or attempt to keep Arya in one place.”

“Maybe,” she set the bag of salad mix on the counter, then stretched. “You hear back on the new job yet?”

“My second errand was for a drug test, so I'm now in the background checking stage.” He chuckled. “So now I'm in the waiting game.” He ran a hand through his hair, and a moment later he felt her arms wrap around his waist, her head between his shoulders. “Thank you.”

“You need more hugs in your life.” Rey mumbled behind him. “We both do.”

“No arguments there.” He took one of her hands in his and started kissing her fingertips. “How were your other classes?” 

“I think there's a distinct possibility of me getting my Early Art History and Western Civilization One class mixed up at times.” She sighed. “It'll make the essay writing easier.” 

He adjusted the heat on the sauce. “I took neither, so I can't comment. I took Western Civ Two and American Military History for that part of my gen eds.” He frowned, and glanced back at her. “Reminds me, what's your minor?” 

“I don't have one.” She grumbled and pulled away from him, going back to where she'd left the salad mix. “I've been thinking of switching to Elementary Art Education. World needs art teachers, and I don't want to teach high school kids.” 

He grinned. “I think you'd be a great teacher.” He tested the pasta against the side of the pot. “Few more minutes.” 

“It's something else to think about.” He saw her dump salad into each of the bowls. “What did you minor in?”

He coughed. “Music.” He ducked his head.

“Really?” He heard the fridge open and shut. “Speaking of, you still haven't let me listen to the recording of you and Jen singing your award winning duet.” 

Ben felt his ears turn pink. “I may as well go whole hog – we can watch the DVD recording of the talent show from our senior year while we eat dinner. We did the same duet.” He grinned, looking back towards her. “In improvised costumes, no less.”

“Okay, I definitely need to see this.” She laughed and took a drink from her can. “What kind of salad dressing do you want, Bear? Blue cheese?”

“I think I'll change for once and just have Italian instead.” He coughed. “You always seem to have an issue with my breath when I eat blue cheese.” He shrugged. “Besides, variation is good.” 

“Variation is excellent.” Rey replied, “we still have croutons?”

“Pantry, third shelf, next to the cereal.” He answered as he picked up the pot of pasta to drain the water. “Grated Parmesan is in the fridge, top shelf inside the door, next to the salad dressing, which, unless you moved them around, should be in alphabetical order.”

“Benjamin Organa Solo, did you clean the kitchen yesterday?” Rey scoffed. “You did, didn't you?”

He shrugged as he dumped the pasta into the colander. “I needed to work off some stress. Besides, the fridge needed some work anyway.” He looked up as she kissed his cheek. “What?”

“Nothing.” She brushed his hair out of his face. “Anyone ever tell you you're good at being an adult?” She kissed his cheek again and went back over to the salads. “Because you're crazy good at it.” 

He dumped the pasta back into the pot. “I'm really not, Rey. I'm an amazing actor.” He added the sauce to the pot before turning off the stove and mixing the two together. “Plain and simple.” He gave her a look. “You're not half bad it yourself.” He shrugged. “Although the next time we have a three day weekend we should build a blanket fort and spend a day coloring.” 

“I don't think we have enough blankets or any space we can build it where we don't have to worry about you hitting your head.” she answered, going over to the pantry. “I'll finish up in here, you go set the DVD player up.” 

“Sure.” He left the pot and walked towards the front of the kitchen, kissing the back of Rey's neck as he passed, causing her to shriek. “Still loving your new haircut, Sunshine?”

“The more often you do it, the more I am tempted to not let it grow long again.” She grinned. “Not to mention it's way easier to take care of now.” 

“It's an adorable look on you.” He smiled and went into the living room to set up the television. As he turned it on, he took one look at what was on the screen and cursed. “Bad news, Rey.”

“What?” she called. “More snow?”

“More snow.” He groaned. “Our Thursday flurries are going to St. Louis. We're getting Green Bay's six to nine inches. I suggest packing extra socks.” He shook his head. “It's not ice, as I always tell myself.”

“Yeah, I don't want to know about ice.” she came into the living room, carrying the salad bowls, and glanced over at the rocking chair, where Arya was cleaning her paws. “She'll stay off the stove, won't she?”

“She knows better, and besides, we're in the room with her.” He answered and set the DVD in the player, the incoming weather already out of his mind.


	22. Impending Storm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wednesday started off with promise and was spattered with good news, but things can't stay steady for very long.

Ben left the apartment on Wednesday shortly after Rey did. Granted, going to see Doctor Andres before going to work was a change of routine, but if he got this job at First Order, he might have to stop the weekly visits altogether. The holidays were over, which was usually the time he needed to see the man the most, a rough patch of the year that was one of the few predictable things in his life. Although with his father's recent antics in trying to split an inheritance, he was more annoyed that Han had tried to do it, rather than the actual dividing. The man completely ignored him almost three hundred and sixty five days a year, and when he did pay attention to him, there was always some kind of fallout. Han Solo never learned to leave things alone. It was nothing short of a miracle the divorce was amicable. 

He frowned down at the pages of the magazine he was flipping through was he waited for his appointment, glancing across the room to where a middle aged woman was frowning down at a crossword puzzle book. He turned his attention back to the pages, stopping when he came to an article on breakfasts around the world.

“Psychic rabbit?” The woman muttered, “what the...”

“Fiver.” He answered, not even pausing to look up, “From _Watership Down_.” 

“Augh, I should have known that.” She coughed. “Thanks.” 

“No problem.” He put the magazine down and pinched the bridge of his nose. Today the lawyer was going to be contacting the Anslans about the whole will, and, hopefully, they could end this without any further argument. It seemed rather sad in his mind that Diana was going to have to learn what kind of an asshole they had for a father this way, but given that he had known nothing about Han Solo's infidelity until last month, better now than when she was his age. Hell, he'd been close to her age when he'd learned that he wasn't dependable.

“Jaime versus Bran, starting with a D, ending with an N.” The woman across from him said and he looked up again. 

“Defenestration.” He saw her mouth fall slightly. “Do you need me to spell it?”

“Uh...” She looked down at her book again. “Is that with three 'E's?” 

He nodded. “Yes.” He shook his head as the door to the inner offices opened and Doctor Andres stood there. “Hey.” He got to his feet and headed towards him. “Morning.” 

“Morning.” The doctor looked past him, towards the woman. “Morning Esther.” 

“Morning Doctor Andres.” She answered and then looked back at her book as Ben followed the man towards his office. 

“Margie's not coming in today, all of her kids have the flu.” the man stated as they came to his office and he opened it. Margie was the practices' secretary/receptionist. “How have you been this week?” He asked as he went over to his desk and Ben had a seat in his usual chair. 

“Somewhere between okay and augh.” He ran a hand through his hair, covering a yawn. “Excuse me.” 

“It's fine. How'd the job interview go?” He picked up a pen and started scribbling something down.

“It was an extremely strange interview, but good... I've moved up from applicant to background check. I should know before the end of the week either way.” He chuckled. “I haven't had to have one of those before. Michael's doesn't really look all to deep into the people they hire.”

“How are things between you and Rey?” The man looked at the notepad, not at him.

“Great.” He leaned forward, rubbing at a callous on his hand. “She made a new friend at school, I haven't met her yet, but she sounds like a regular ball of sunshine.” He chuckled. “Perky.” He took a breath and glanced up, doing a double take when he realized that Doctor Andres had put his pen down, and was watching him from over his folded hands. “What?”

“We haven't gotten you anywhere, Ben. We never seem to accomplish that particular goal.” He shifted so his arms were flat on his desk. “I've always told you just coming in here is a big step, and while I won't deny you're good at doing things I suggest, you and I both know that mostly stems from your childhood of always doing what's expected of you.”

“Mostly.” He managed a wry grin. “If I always did I what was expected, I'd be in either law or medical school right now, not sitting here in Chicago having a pleasant conversation with you on this fine morning.” Ben slid a hand through his hair again, wondering why he was so nervous this morning. He'd been in this office scores of times, in worse situations. “I'm getting through my down, this one hasn't been nearly as bad as the one this past summer.” 

Doctor Andres smiled. “I know you are, Ben. But us talking one on one can only do so much.” He folded his hands. “Would you consider ceasing one on one and go into group therapy?”

Ben blinked at him, the idea of it both equal parts terrifying and a relief. “Group therapy? How big of a group are you talking about?”

He scribbled something down on the notebook. “No more than three other people, with a diagnosis similar to yours. All of you roughly the same age.” He made another note. “Avoid anyone from feeling like the old person or the kid in the room.”

“I'd have to think about it.” He took a breath, rubbing the back of his neck. “It might help. Misery loves company, right?” He chuckled and saw the slight smile on the other man's face. “You know I'm right.” 

“I'm neither agreeing or disagreeing. This is never about me, it's about you.” He made another note. “How's Arya?”

“Arya's good.” He sat back in his chair, and let out a breath. “My father's come up with a new and frustrating way to fuck with my life, but I think I've gotten it mostly cleaned up. Provided he doesn't come back to Chicago.” He managed a weak smile, “Forgive me if this sounds childish, but he's insanely lucky I haven't called my mother about it yet.” 

To his credit, the doctor barely reacted to his statement. “Is your mom all moved to St. Louis? Or is she still in Buffalo?” 

“She's down in Missouri.” He grinned. “Weird to say that instead of over in New York.” He let out a breath. “Yeah... I haven't talked to her since Monday, but she sent me a text yesterday to let me know she arrived safe and sound. I know the two of us still have a long way to go, but well, one step at a time, right?”

“Right.” He smiled and made another note. “And how are things between you and Rey?”

Ben cleared his throat, realizing the two of them had just talked in a circle. “Good. It's sort of strange, being in a relationship that isn't toxic or what Jen and I had, which was normal friendship, or whatever.” He took a breath, and then shook his head. “I have to keep telling myself that she's nineteen. It's...” he swallowed. “She's still at the start of her college life, and I'm at the end of mine. I know that if we're still together it'll look simpler when she's twenty one and I'm twenty seven, but right now...”

“You don't smother her, I know that.” He made a few more notes. “And you respect her space. From what I know about you and what you've told me about her, you two are in a unique situation. The fact you understand and are aware of your differences in maturity and act accordingly speaks volumes all on its own.” 

He looked up, smiling. “I try.” 

“You do a wonderful job.” He made a few more notes. “Have you had any more contact with the Anslans?”

Ben shook his head. “No, and I'm hoping to keep it that way for a while.” He looked down at his hands. “but I don't know that's going to be possible.” He glanced at his watch, then back at the doctor. “I'll try and make this quick.” 

*

Rey had barely gotten her lunch unpacked when a tray slapped against the table across from her and she looked up to see a rather distressed looking Rose sitting down, her expression so unlike her previous happy-go-lucky self it was almost alarming. “Did something happen between Lit class and now?” 

“Would it be entirely possible for me to crash at your place Friday night?” She took a breath, looking ready to scream. “Please. My food plan lets me order Papa John's, so I will buy dinner, and get some of those cinnamon bread-sticks so we can reheat them for breakfast.” She closed her eyes, holding her hands out to either side of her tray, clearly trying to calm herself down. “My roommate Cari, and a fellow rusher she hasn't shut up about since Saturday, Amanda, are almost certainly going to end up in the Tri-Delts together, and are going to be doing clothing related shit Friday night, and who knows who else might show up.” She shook herself and looked at Rey, her eyes wide. “Plenty of girls on my floor already think I'm weird for not going through Rush, and I...”

“It should be fine.” She stabbed the straw into her juice box, then opened her sandwich container. “You don't have a problem with cats, do you?”

“No.” Her expression changed into the bright smile Rey was used to seeing. “You have a cat?”

“Well, Arya is Ben's cat.” She picked up her phone and scrolled through the pictures, finding the most recent one she had taken of the animal. “Here she is.” she held the phone towards Rose.

The other girl let out a noise halfway between a shriek and a giggle. “Oh my gosh, she's so fluffy and adorable!”

“And she knows it.” She retorted, as Rose handed the phone back to her. “Advanced warning, she does like to lie on you or your pillow and purr in your ear when you're sleeping or trying to and wants your attention. Then she slips under the cover and smacks you in the face with her tail.” 

Rose grinned. “I left three Siamese cats in Florida, believe me, one cat is no problem at all.” She opened her package of chopsticks. “Technically, they're not mine, well, one of them is, one belongs to my sister and one is my dad's. Then again, cats really don't belong to people, but... you know what I mean?” 

“I know.” Rey grinned. “What's your cat's name?”

“Luna.” She snapped the chopsticks in two, looking down at her plate of sweet and sour chicken. “Yes, after the character in _Harry Potter_.”

“Nothing wrong with that, Luna's awesome.” She picked up a sandwich half. “What are the other two called?”

The girl smirked as she speared a piece of chicken. “Bowie and Donna.” 

Rey was about to ask where Donna came from when her phone rang and she hit the answer button without looking at it. “Hi, Bear.” She saw Rose's eyebrows lift and she realized what she had said and felt herself blush.

“Afternoon Sunshine.” Ben's voice answered, sounding far more cheerful than she was used to. “Guess what.” 

She broke into a smile. “You got the job?”

“I got the job!” He laughed, “I'll put in my two weeks at Michael's the day after tomorrow.” He took a breath. “How's your day going?”

“First, congratulations, and I'm great.” She shot a look across the table. “Would you be okay with Rose coming over to crash with us on Friday? She's offered us pizza in return for shelter from deranged Sorority Pledges.” She took a bite of her sandwich.

Rose grabbed a napkin to keep from spraying her lunch across the table.

“If your friend has agreed to provide sustenance, then she's more than welcome to come over.” He let out a half laugh. “I'm going to stop by Jewel and grab a few things before heading home this afternoon and hopefully beat the snow-shoppers. Is there anything you need or want?”

She thought for a moment. “Kettle corn, if the microwave kind is on sale.” She glanced across the table to see that Rose was doing an excellent job of eating while pretending not to be listening to her conversation. 

“Popcorn, no problem.” Ben let out a noise she couldn't place. “See you later this afternoon.” He coughed and then hung up. 

Rey set her phone back down to see Rose giving her a rather amused, dreamy look. “What?”

“Does Ben have any single guy friends?” She let out a wistful sigh.

“Uh, the only one of his guy friends I've met is Nate...” She picked up her sandwich again. “Actually, I met his friend before I met him, well, kind of.” She leaned forward. “This story of how all this happened is so insane, I have to start at the beginning...” 

*

Jewel wasn't quite the madhouse Ben was expecting. Most people would rush in here after they got off from work, and he'd spent most of his six hour stint at Michael's shelving frames from the truck and moving U-Boats full of stock from the dock area to their locations in the store. Much as he enjoyed working in the frame shoppe, he'd had more than enough of working in retail. He never could understand how people could be so rude and then wonder why good help was so hard to find. Combined with his stint in food service in high school, he had to wonder how the people who made either their life-long profession by choice functioned. 

Probably with extensive therapy and Prozac. 

He added two boxes of microwave popcorn to his cart – one kettle and one extra butter – and then selected a few of bags of Chex Mix, (on sale three for five dollars) before leaving the snack-food isle and then nearly laughed at the practically devoid of customers dairy isle. He tossed a few packages of shredded cheese into his cart, along with a gallon of two-percent milk and some pie crust. He had originally planned to pick up a few necessary items for the impending weather, however, with the good news he'd gotten between leaving Doctor Andres's and work, he decided to make something special for dinner in celebration. 

Granted, he didn't know how much justice he could do to Aunt Mara's chicken pot pie, but he was going to at least make an attempt. He already knew how to make it into a soup, so how much harder could the actual pie be? There were plenty of frozen vegetables in the freezer at home, and he doubled back to the produce area of the store, going to the rack of flowers and selected a bouquet of yellow roses, smiling to himself. So it was a little corny; maybe it was a lot corny. He didn't care. 

“BB!” A voice called and he jumped, turning around and a moment later, Jasmine came over, pushing a cart of her own. “Sorry, didn't mean to scare you.” 

“It's fine, I don't run into many people calling me that around Chicago. At least not in the grocery store.” He gave her a lopsided grin. “Preparing for the imminent snow?” He glanced in her cart, then up at her. 

“I'm afraid a few too many winters in North Carolina wrecked what tolerance to the cold I built up in my childhood.” She let out a slight laugh, then straightened. “I've actually been meaning to call you.” She moved her cart so someone else could pass by. “About Jen's email, and the time capsule. My husband and I have no problem if Jen comes down from Wisconsin and stays with us.” She frowned. “I wish I could say it surprised me that she became a nun, but it doesn't. Well, it was either she become a nun or the two of you heading off in a minivan as traveling folk singers.” 

Ben bit back a laugh. It was a crazy notion; and he could almost see it – if he hadn't known Jen wanted to join the church when they were in eighth grade. “Well, the two of us were state champions together in duet for choir, if that counts.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “I have a family thing the weekend before Memorial Day, so I'll be out of town for that. What about the weekend after the holiday? Spare Nate and Jen the holiday air-fare costs.” 

“Good point.” She tapped her fingers against the handle of her cart, her eyes not meeting his. “Um...” 

Ben felt his stomach turn over; he remembered the look. The last time he'd seen it was the day Jasmine told him and the others she was moving. “You found out about Shelly.” 

Jasmine nodded, putting her hand up to her nose as she inhaled to fight back tears. “I know you and Nate didn't want me knowing, but I started looking and...” She shook her head and straightened up. “I may not know the why, but...”

“It's nothing good.” Ben pulled the package of tissues from his coat pocket and held it out to her. “Junior year was hell.” 

She took one of the tissues and blotted her eyes with it before pressing it against her nose. “I'm... I'm glad I know. Not knowing, it was worse. Does that make sense?”

He shoved the package back into his coat. “It does.” He bit at his bottom lip, not meeting her gaze, and he could feel the edges of panic starting in the back of his mind. “I hate to cut this short, but I've got dinner to make, and a crowd to avoid on the L.” He gestured to the cart, feeling like a bit of an asshole, but hopefully, she'd understand. 

“Not a problem.” She seemed to compose herself. “I'll call you later tonight, okay?”

“Sure.” He gave her a half smile. “Stay safe out there – you remember how to drive in the snow, right?” 

“I will, and I do. Better than most people.” She turned, sniffling. “Take care of yourself BB.” She gave him a rather blubbery smile. “Don't challenge any more cars to a fight.”

He shook his head. “The car challenged me, Fours. I was in the crosswalk and it had a stop sign.” He managed a grin and steered his cart towards the checkout. He needed to get back home, just in case panic overtook him.

*

When Rey stepped off the elevator, a wonderful, savory smell greeted her, causing her stomach to rumble. It increased when she realized the smell was coming from within her and Ben's apartment. She quickly let herself in, shutting the door and locking it. “Smells amazing, whatever it is.” She did her usual coming home routine, grinning when Arya appeared and jumped up on the couch to watch her. “And how was your day?” She tossed her keys onto the table before reaching over to rub the cat behind the ears. “No wild parties?” The cat chirped and then hopped off the couch, heading for the kitchen. “Ben?” She called and came around the corner, stopping short when she saw the dining room table was set with the good china, with a vase of roses in the middle. “Oh, what are you up to...” She went over to the doorway, leaning against the threshold, “I miss an important date?” 

Ben looked up from the stove and shook his head. Just from the look on his face, she knew he'd been crying. “Nope. I've gotten my first full time job, I felt it warranted a bit of a celebration.” He came over and kissed her cheek. “The flowers are for you, something to help brighten up all this gray weather we've had.”

“Thank you, it's really sweet of you.” She stepped back so he could open the fridge. She knew better than to ask if he was okay. “What's for dinner?, it smells wonderful.” 

“Aunt Mara's chicken pot pie. Well, or my attempt at it.” He took a bottle of sparkling cider out of the fridge. “Too much?” He set it on the counter, his face pensive.

Rey stepped forward and wrapped her arms around his waist, hugging him tightly. “I think it's perfect. You need to celebrate your achievements more often. Didn't we have this discussion back around Thanksgiving?”

He chuckled, kissing the top of her head. “I think we did.” He pulled away and took a pot holder in each hand from the top of the stove before opening the oven door. “How was your afternoon?” 

“Pretty decent.” She went over to the pantry. “Anything I can do to help with dinner?” She saw him pull out the pie pan and she grinned, her stomach rumbling again; if it tasted as good as it looked and smelled, it was going to be wonderful. 

“I think I'm about done.” He set the pie on the stove. “If you wanted to change or at least get settled, you've got time.” He shut the oven door and gave her another smile; it was a strange thing, recognizing the forced expression, and he knew she knew. “Really.” 

She took a breath. “I'm going to go wash up, then I'll be ready to eat.” she gave him a pointed look. “And I'm doing the dishes, don't think you can convince me otherwise. Whoever doesn't cook, does the dishes. It's only fair.” She gave him a smile before walking out of the kitchen and going over to the table, leaning over so she could inhale the soft, delicate scent from the roses. “You're too sweet.” She whispered and stepped back, heading across to the bathroom, and, upon pushing open the door, cursed softly. The room was spotless, even the chrome on the sink and bathtub were sparkling. “Your day wasn't as good as you're pretending it was.” she whispered, shaking her head. 

When she returned to the dining room, the pie was on the table and Ben was pouring the cider, his smile a little more certain than it was in the kitchen. She wasn't going to deny the fact she loved the whole dinner together and other things most people would call family time, it was something neither of them really had growing up. But she also knew his underlying reason for doing things like this. Making dinner, cleaning – it was his coping mechanism, the way sketching or reading was hers. 

Sometimes the best thing to do about the elephant in the room was to just let it stay in the corner and sleep. 

Rey slid into her seat as Ben sat down. “Was it a madhouse at the store when you went?” She looked down at her plate. “With the impending snow and all?”

“I managed to get there before the after-school crowd poured in.” He answered. “Actually, they were all headed into the store as I was headed out.” He nudged the serving spoon towards her. “How was the rest of your day?”

“Uneventful.” She took the spoon and cut into the crust, flaking under the pressure, and revealed a rich looking mix of chicken, peas, corns, carrots, and onions in gravy. “You sure you don't mind Rose coming over on Friday?” She finished serving herself and then moved the spoon so he could grab it.

“Not at all.” He smiled absently. “Any ideas on what you want to do? Other than eat pizza?” He scooped some of the pie onto his plate. “Watch movies?” 

“I hadn't thought about it, really.” She waited for him to finish serving himself before she put her napkin in her lap and picked up her fork. “I don't know too much about Rose. She's here at De Paul in defiance of her family's legacy of Georgetown, her sister's a marine biologist studying the coral reef in Australia, and she left her cat at home in Tampa.” She ducked her head. “We were talking about building a snowman and taking a picture to send her sister.” 

“I'd suggest waiting to build it until Saturday morning.” He smiled over his fork at her. “Better light.”

“True.” She nodded. “I've never built one actually. I don't think she has either.” She glanced over at him, and saw the look on his face. “What?”

“Then you're definitely going to have to build one.” Ben winked. “Make Poe and Finn jealous.” 

She let out a slight chuckle and turned her attention to eating. 

For a few minutes, there was no noise in the apartment other than the faint scrape of their forks on the plates and Arya munching her kibble in the kitchen. There was a thump above them and Rey glanced upwards as it repeated itself, and frowned. 

“Eighteen A is rearranging the furniture.” He answered, completely nonchalant. “They do it every January.” There was a particularly loud bang from above them, and she saw the cat run out of the kitchen and head straight for Ben's room. “Coffee table.” 

“Yeah.” She set her fork down, a rolling feeling starting in the pit of her stomach. This wasn't something she should be freaking out over. The people upstairs were moving their furniture, nothing to panic about, she'd managed perfectly fine when the movers came a week ago with Ben's things. She sat back, nudging her plate away. 

“Rey?” There was a soft clink as Ben put his fork down. “Sunshine?” 

She blinked, inhaling slowly, willing the edges of panic in her mind to subside. A horrific sounding crash came from right above her followed by an equally loud curse; and the tirade continued as something she couldn't place rebounded across the floor of the upstairs apartment.

“Rey!” Another bang, this time from inside the apartment reached her as the world went white right before it went black.


	23. Unexpected in January

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ben decides not to press the issue on Rey fainting, and while he knows it's unhealthy to drop the subject, he lets things be. Rose is doing her best to keep her chin up and is looking forward to Friday. Both Ben and Rey receive phone calls - and a new family member comes to live in Apartment 17-A.

Ben glared at the ceiling as he shifted onto the floor, putting Rey's head in his lap. The muffled pounding and cursing continued, and then he heard the door of 17-B open and slam shut, followed by the door to the stairs opening. “Sheesh.” He brushed his fingers against her cheek, noting her shallow breathing. “Rey?” He kept his voice calm, trying to keep his own panic down. “Sunshine?” 

She let out a whimper and a moment later, Arya started nudging against her, chirping. “Silly kitty.” She whispered and opened her eyes. A tremendous bang echoed above them and the cat let out a yowl while Rey's whole body cringed. “Scared.” She looked up at him, her lower lip trembling. “Sorry.” 

“Don't be.” He brushed her hair from her face. He gave her a gentle smile, stroking her cheek slowly. “You want to stay down here for a bit? Dinner will keep.” 

She curled up onto her side, and the cat burrowed herself in the space between her arms and chin. “Yeah.” She closed her eyes again, breathing slowly. “Did you know this floor is surprisingly comfortable?”

He chuckled and nodded. “I did. Arya certainly seems to think so too.” He grinned down at her, keeping his fingers against her cheek. “Bad memories?”

“Very bad.” She swallowed, and grasped his arm. “I don't want to talk about it.” 

He smoothed his fingers across her forehead. “I wasn't going to suggest it.” He glanced up at the ceiling, hearing footsteps and then a thud. “I think our across the hall neighbors might not approve of all the noise either. And they're not even under it.”

“Maybe eighteen-B is up to the same thing.” She managed a wan smile. “We don't know what kind of crazies live between us and the Phasmas, only that they like to watch _Game of Thrones_ and I think I heard the theme from _The Walking Dead_ a few times too.” She wrinkled her nose. “And yes, I've heard them having sex.”

Ben snickered. “I think they may be into some seriously kinky shit, given what I've heard a few times.” He glanced upwards. “After the Phasmas, I know the people across the hall second best, and there's a couple down on fourteen or fifteen, I can never remember, who I run into constantly in places other than this apartment building.”

She chuckled and took a few deep breaths. “There's a family of four living down on ten I used to come back from Tuesday and Thursday classes last semester at the same time the bus was letting the kids off from school. They're twins, and I think they're around Daisy's age. I never asked, because it'd be sort of weird.”

“I understand. I'm trying to think how four people could live in a space this size. Or rather, how four people can share one bathroom.” He frowned, adjusting them so she was in his lap, her head on his shoulder. “This okay?” He kept his arms around her.

“This is great. They must set timers for the bathroom, or something. At the Persimmon House, we had four bathrooms – and twelve people, counting the adults.” She smiled, pressing her nose against his neck. “You always smell nice. I don't know what it is, but you always smell good.” 

Ben felt himself blush. “I believe in soap, deodorant and changing my socks every day.” He rubbed her back in slow circles. “Which reminds me, how did Poe forget to pack socks for Boy Scout camp? That's like the third item on the list, after underwear.” 

“He actually thought he packed them, well, what he told me was he packed two pairs, right near the top of his camp trunk, then he stopped packing and went swimming with a couple of friends.” She snickered. “When he came back, it was late and he saw the two pairs, and assumed the rest were all shoved into the nearly full trunk elsewhere.” 

“Yeah, socks are a definite must at camp. Only thing I ever forgot to pack one year was sunblock, or at least, a sunblock with a decent SPF.” He closed his eyes, pressing his face into her hair. “You ready to get up and eat a little more, or you want to stay down here?”

“One more minute.” She pressed her face against his neck. “I feel like we should send an apology to the people in sixteen-A for the noise we make on occasion.” 

“What, make them a plate of cookies, take it down there and say we're sorry for the almost weekly rhythmic thumping?” He let out an odd noise when she poked his ribs. “Hey!”

“Don't be crass.” She retorted, “besides, we're never really loud, are we?” She slid out of his arms and rose to her feet and he followed. 

“I don't think we are, at least not vocally. As to what noise the furniture makes, I usually don't notice.” He gave her a sheepish look. “My focus is usually elsewhere.” 

Rey shook her head and righted her chair before sitting down. “Not to mention the couch has enough busted springs it makes the same amount of noise whether we sit on it or mess around on it.” 

Ben sat down and picked up his fork. “Maybe we should get a new couch.” He paused. “Then again, since the one we have is already broken, we can keep it and we wouldn't have to worry about breaking a new one.”

“I happen to like our couch.” She smiled. “We should spend some time there after dinner.” She turned her attention to her plate.

For a few moments, he watched her eat, the incident of not five minutes ago simply brushed aside. He knew this scenario and actions all to well. He'd done it enough times himself he had no right to press the issue. He took up his glass of cider and took a drink, letting the silence settle over the apartment once more. He swore he could hear Doctor Andres's voice telling him it was unhealthy, but Ben knew better than to try and bring the issue out. Rey would tell him when she was ready. Not any time sooner. 

*

+Rose Tico has a friend request from Rey Kenobi

Rose yawned and fell back on her bed, enjoying the blessed silence with her roommate being gone from the room. Things had been fine last semester, the two of them had gotten along great, gone to meals together, hung out, it was almost like a perpetual sleepover at times. Then came second semester and Rush, and she promptly fell out of existence for her. Surprisingly, she wasn't as upset as she thought she would. She stretched and held her tablet up over her head, accepting the friend request from Rey. “I hope she's got more pictures of the kitty.” She hummed to herself as she went to the girl's page and found several photo albums, including one dedicated just to the cat. 

The door opened and Cari swept into the room, muttering to herself. “Ten minutes, I need to be ready to leave in ten minutes...” 

Rose glanced over at her. “I thought you were gone already.” 

“No.” She went over to her closet and pulled out a dress and began to change out of the slacks and blouse she was wearing. “Skirt's long enough, I should be fine with my tights.” 

She looked back at the tablet, smiling absently at a picture of the black cat stretched out in a doorway, if she didn't know better, she might think the cat was posing. “It's getting cold out there.” 

“I know!” she saw her sit down on the bed and change into heels. “I hope they've salted the walkways enough.” Cari took several deep breaths. “This whole thing shouldn't be so damn stressful. I mean, we spent part of last semester going through this, now it's the actual week where we narrow down things and...” Her shoulders slumped. “I just wish it was _done._ This is worse than waiting for acceptance letters for college.” 

“Is it that bad?” Rose swung up to a sit, reaching over for the package of sour gummy worms on her desk. “You're a Tri-Delta legacy, and since this _isn't_ a school in the south, isn't it pretty much the same as already being in?”

“You'd think it'd be that simple.” she finished with her shoes and stood up, looking herself over in the full length mirror on the back of the door. “God, I'd probably have a heart-attack if I was almost into the Tri-Delts at Ole Miss or Texas.” 

She looked back down at her tablet, flipping through the pictures in the photo album on Rey's Facebook page until she came to one of the cat asleep on the chest of a sleeping dark haired guy with a lurid scar on his face. “okay, so not only is this cat adorable, her owner's super cute as well.”

“What?” Cari came over and looked down and let out a whistle. “Oh damn, who is that guy?”

“My friend Rey's boyfriend slash roommate. I don't know the details. The cat's named Arya.” She sat back against the wall, and gave her roommate a once over. “Don't forget to wear a coat. Your dress doesn't look warm in the slightest.” 

She gave her an exasperated look. “I know better than to forget a coat in Chicago in January.” 

Rose arched an eyebrow. “Well, you've clearly forgotten to put on a slip, because I can see your underwear and your tights through the skirt.”

“Gah!” the girl went over to her dresser, muttering. “This getting dressed up so many days in a row, it's kind a whole new level of stressful. It's worse than making sure you don't repeat outfits in a two week period in high school.” 

“I wore a uniform, I wouldn't know.” She turned her focus back onto her notepad, liking a few of the photographs. “You want to get breakfast together in the morning? Or are you ashamed to be seen in public with your GDI roomie?” She wasn't expecting an affirmative response, but she felt she should at least extend the invitation. Sitting alone in the cafeteria for most meals was starting to bug her a little. 

“Sounds fun.” Cari's shadow fell over her, and Rose looked up. “I've been pretty shitty since Rush started.”

“It's fine, I knew it was coming.” she shrugged. “Oh, reminds me, I won't be here Friday night. Don't let anyone help themselves to my clothes.” 

The girl scoffed. “I don't think they'd fit anyone I know, except my little sister, since they're all petite sizes. But I'll keep them out of your closet.” She grinned. “I'll guard your shoes too.” 

“Thanks.” She watched as Cari picked up her coat. “Have fun and don't get too stressed out.” 

“I'll try not to!” She picked up her keys as she went to the door. “Night!” 

“Night.” Rose answered as her roommate left, and let out a deep breath once she was gone. “I am so snuggling this cat when I go over there.” 

*

Rey adjusted her hold on her sketchbook, looking over at Arya, who was watching her from the rocking chair, her eyes half shut. In the other room, she could hear Ben washing dishes. He'd refused her offer to do them, even though he had cooked and it was their rule. He wanted her to relax after fainting at dinner earlier. She worried her bottom lip a bit, then shook her head as the cat's head came down to rest on her front paws. “You take six naps a day, how can you be tired?” She turned back to her drawing, noting that much like her owner, the cat was rather placid and good at remaining in one position while being the subject of an art piece.

The door to the stairs opened outside and a moment later, there was a sharp knock on their door. Frowning, she set her sketchbook aside, went over to the door, unlocking it but leaving the chain in place, and glanced through the peephole before opening it. “Yes?”

The man on the other side gave her a slight smile. “Sorry to bother you. Just wanted to let you two kids know the people above you are moving out in a few weeks, so there might be more noise to come.” 

She gave him a wry smile. “Well, as long as they don't overturn their entire kitchen on the floor again, I think we'll be fine.” 

He chuckled. “Card table collapsed under the weight of all the pots and pans.” He shook his head. “They apologize in advance for any more noise. You two have a good night.” 

“Thank you, and good night.” She answered, shutting the door and a moment later, she heard the one across the corridor open and shut. “Crazy.” She redid the locks and went into the kitchen. “Upstairs neighbors are moving out.” 

Ben looked up from the dish he was drying. “Explains the noise.” 

“Yeah.” She came over and started to stack the already dried dishes to put them away. “You work tomorrow?” 

“No, I'm going to stay home and clean, since we're having company on Friday.” He grinned over at her. “I discovered today the new box of kitty litter I purchased was multi-cat, not the usual stuff I get.” 

“I don't think Arya minds what's in her litter box, although I think she'd object if you tried to give her something other than Cat Chow.” She snickered. “I can never keep track of what kind of food you're supposed to feed a pet and what you're not. It's almost as confusing as the constant studies of our diet and it seems every week there's something we need to eat more of, and the next week, we need to cut down our consumption of it.”

Ben chuckled. “I love it when they tell us to eat more seafood, then ask us to save marine life from fishermen.” He shook his head. “I'd love to see someone tell my Uncle Luke he needs to start farming his soybeans organically. The entire crop every year becomes cooking oil.” 

She put the plates away. “Frying sort of eliminates the whole organic idea anyway, doesn't it?”

“It can.” He smiled. “I'm almost done here,” he ran the silverware under the hot water to rinse it and she nodded before walking back out of the kitchen, returning to her spot on the couch. Arya was still dozing on the rocking chair and she picked up her sketchbook and closed it, setting it on the coffee table as she heard Ben turning off the lights in the kitchen and he came over to sit on the other side of the couch. 

She slid over against him, putting her legs over his, resting her head on his shoulder. “This okay?”

His arms came around her and he kissed the top her head, letting out a soft sigh. “This is perfect.”

*

The frame and the picture had gone everywhere with Jasmine since she was fourteen. She may have lost touch with the occupants, but still it remained part of her stack of always packed images. Even when she went to college and hadn't spoken with any of them for years, it still resided on her desk, next to frames of her high school friends, her family, and in all honesty, in the event of a fire, it'd be the one she grabbed above all others. Even now, it stood on the bookshelf with the others, next to a frame of her husband's, a photograph of him and paternal grandparents, taken when he was thirteen and his family had gone to South Korea to meet them. For the first and the last time.

She ran the duster across the glass of both and then went into the kitchen, pulling the dust pad off the wand and tossing it into the trash. She'd spent most of the afternoon cleaning to keep her mind off the wretchedness of yesterday.

Yesterday when she'd decided she wanted to know what happened to her long lost friends. Or had she been the one who was lost? She was already planning on driving up to the abbey where Jen was on the next weekend when the forecast was clear. True, she could just call Ben up and have a good cry with him, but he'd changed so much since they were the kids in the photo. His sunny smile was gone; and she wondered if it was the same of Jen and Nate. 

Foolishly, she thought they would all remain the same, somehow. 

She didn't know if she wanted to throttle Doctor Wainwright for suggesting she look into the matter or not. While it was painful to know, she had told Ben the truth. Not knowing was worse. Now there was just the biggest mystery left.

What had compelled Shelly to commit suicide. 

She heard the apartment door open as she came back into the main room. “Hey.” 

“Hi, sweetheart.” Gregory Jung smiled and kissed her cheek, then frowned. “You're cleaning again. You only clean when you're upset.” He turned and locked the door, pulling off his coat. “What's wrong?”

Jasmine shook her head. “It's... Remember when I told you Doctor Wainwright told me I should look into finding out what happened to my friends from Buffalo as a form of closure?”

“Yes.” He hung the coat up, his face worried. “I know you told me three of them have passed away.”

She swallowed. “It...” she felt the tears start. “Shelly killed herself.” 

“Oh, honey...” He came over and pulled her into his arms, and she started to sob against his shoulder, his hand moving in slow circles on her back. “I'm so sorry.” 

The two of them stood that way for several minutes, no other sound in the apartment but the thrum of the heater and the occasional roar of the wind outside. Jasmine was thankful Greg didn't ask too many questions at times; and while a part of her was still mad at Doctor Wainwright, what she had told Ben was true: not knowing was worse. She took a deep breath, letting some of the tension out. Time to do the standard procedure in these situations. Change the subject. “Oh, by the way, the people across the hall are moving out before the end of the month.” 

He chuckled. “Well, they weren't the best neighbors, we've lived here since August and have exchanged words with them what, less than a dozen times?” He led her over to the couch and they sat down. “Well, we have only lived here four months, no one noticed when we moved in. Too excited about how the Cubs were playing.” 

“You among them.” She chuckled. “How was work?” She rested her head on his shoulder. “You need any dinner?”

“I'm good, thanks.” He kissed her forehead. “I am once again thankful I didn't go into hospital pharmacy. Retail pharmacy is stressful enough. How hard is it for a person to remember they're allergic to penicillin? True, you hope you don't need antibiotics often, but still...”

She snorted. “If there was some common thing in this world that could potentially kill me like peanuts, bees or acetaminophen, I'd make sure everyone knew.” 

“You're allergic to sulfa drugs, and sulfides, it's why you can't have red wine. ” His hand slid down her back. “You get your audition portfolio off to _Project Runway_?” 

Jasmine smiled. “I did, and I know not to get my hopes up too high. Unless I manage to be the most identifiable every-girl in the pool of applicants. There's always at least one.” She sighed. “Another fun filled day in retail awaits us both tomorrow. Although now with the holidays over, things at Macy's aren't as busy as they were. I for one, am glad I don't have to hear the same music track over and over again. At least until November.” 

He chuckled. “I don't want to think about November until September.” 

“Agreed.” She shifted on the couch. “I know you don't want dinner, would you care for a snack?”

*

Ben yawned as he leaned against the counter, taking a sip of coffee. He'd slept through Rey's departure this morning, rather surprised to find her gone when he woke up. She had remembered to feed Arya, otherwise the animal would have woken him up much earlier. He glanced down at the animal in question, who was sitting on the kitchen floor, cleaning her paws. “Diva.” He chuckled and his phone rang; and he frowned at the screen. “Lake Shore Animal Shelter?” He shot a look at the cat and then hit the accept button. “Hello?” It was probably a call for donations.

“Is this Ben? This is Mike Landry, from Lake Shore, don’t know if you remember me.” He coughed; not sounding like the jovial man Ben had met when he'd gotten Arya almost four years ago.

“Yeah, I do.” He took another sip of coffee. “I thought I wasn't supposed to get any more check-in calls. Arya still hates pigeons, by the way.” 

The man laughed. “I remember.” He took a deep breath. “I know this may sound weird, but would you possibly be interested in adopting another cat? They’re closing our shelter and we need to try and find homes for the animals, _fast_.” 

He glanced down at Arya, who was watching him with interest, chirping softly. “Um... how soon would I need to come over there?”

“We're planning a massive adoption promotion during Martin Luther King Jr weekend, but we're already overcrowded.” He coughed again. “If you're not able to, I understand. We're calling the people who've adopted in the past several years. You wouldn't really need to get anything this time. Since we're closing, we'll send you off with food and water dishes.” 

Ben shot a look towards the pantry, then back down at Arya. He hadn't really thought about ever getting another cat. But at the same time, he remembered those wretched cages he's seen last time and how hard it had been to see them. “I don't suppose you have any Maine Coons this time, do you?”

Mike chuckled. “No, no Maine Coons, plenty of American Shorthairs, they tend to get along with anyone, pet or human.” He took a breath. “I don't want to try and force you, Ben.”

He took another drink of coffee, not entirely worried about the fact the Phasmas were both at work by now. He'd smuggle a cat on the L if he had to. Hell, he'd taken Arya on the L to the vet and usually people only tended to freak if they weren't in carriers. “I'll come down there and look, but I can't promise I'll bring one home.” He checked his watch. “Do I need an appointment?” He walked out of the kitchen, Arya trailing at his heels. 

“No, we're open all afternoon.” The man took a breath. “We really appreciate this.” 

“I'm going to see,” He set his mug down and crouched down to rub Arya behind the ears. “If I go down there and any cat freaks because of my current cat's odor in the carrier, I can't bring them home. Make sense?”

“Perfect sense.” There was a soft clicking noise, he figured Mike was typing something up on the computer. “See you sometime this afternoon then?”

Ben stood and took another drink of coffee. “I'll be by before one, I want to get there and back before it starts snowing.” Both of his classes this semester were almost entirely online anyway, the only days they were actually expected in class were on exam and turn-in days. 

“Thank you, Ben. See you later.” Mike replied and ended the call. 

He set down the phone and took his coffee cup in both hands, watching Arya as she looked up at him, her tail swishing back and forth. “You'll always be my first pet, Little Miss.” He smiled over the rim as she chirped and then padded away, heading for Rey's studio. “Just going down there, didn't make any promises...” He muttered to himself as he walked into his own room. 

*

“So today it's finally over, and my roommate can stop being so stressed out.” Rose gave Rey a woeful look. “I was actually surprised when she agreed to breakfast this morning. But it was scary the way she didn't eat. This is the girl who used to inhale four glazed doughnuts at a time.”

Rey pulled the crusts off her sandwich. “Maybe she's just nervous.” She ate one of them, shrugging. “I heard today that they don't have food at those rush parties. I get the idea is to learn about everything really fast, but not even offering say, a vanilla wafer or two? I don't get it.” 

“I might not have minded so much if I didn't feel like a pig eating eggs, bacon, hash-browns and toast in front of her. “I didn't have much dinner so I was pretty hungry.” 

“Well, as long as you used a fork and a knife, I don't see what the problem is.” She stuffed the rest of the crust into her mouth. 

“Yeah, I guess. I told her I wouldn't be there tomorrow night. We're still on, right?” She opened her carton of chocolate milk. 

“Yup. Ben's told us we should build a snowman on Saturday morning and send pictures off to our friends and relatives in warmer climates.” She grinned as her phone went off. “Speaking of...” She clicked the answer button. “Hi, Ben.” 

“Hi.” He coughed. “If I told you I went and got another cat, would you be angry with me?”

She stared at Rose, raising an eyebrow. “Why did you go and get another cat, Ben?”

“Two kitties?” The girl's whole face brightened at the prospect.

“The shelter where I got Arya called. They're closing at the end of the month and they're trying to find homes before well...” Rey didn't need for him to finish the sentence. “I swear, I just went down there to look and think about it, and well...”

Rey wrinkled her nose. “You know, for someone who can look as unemotional as you can at times, you are such a softie.” 

“You like that I'm a softie.” He retorted. “I'll send you a pic before you get home.” 

“Is it another fluff-ball?” She picked at her sandwich, finding the whole situation mildly amusing. Here Ben had told her she couldn't have a cat because she didn't have the time, and he was about to start a full time job and had gone off and picked up another feline.

“No, they didn't have any fluff-balls this time. Well they did, but it wasn't the same kind of fluff-ball and I'm not brushing a cat daily. I'm lucky if I remember to brush my own hair.” He chuckled and there was a slight roaring sound; he was walking outside. “She's a short-hair and her name is Ahsoka.” 

Rey had no idea where the name came from. “You get to break up the fights.” 

“Given Ahsoka didn't have an issue with Arya's carrier, I'm not too worried.” He chuckled faintly. “Don't worry, I already set up a space for the new kid in my office. Arya may be able to open doors, but she can't open locked ones. The trick will be getting Ahsoka in there.”

She smirked. “It's not Ahsoka's fault Arya waits by the door for you every night.” 

“I'll manage.” He gave a wry chuckle. “I'll talk to you later.” He hung up, and she shook her head at the phone.

“I wish I could say I'm surprised he went and got another cat, but I'm not.” she set her phone down and picked up her sandwich. 

Rose gave her a grin as she picked up her carton of milk. “Oh come on, you don't mean it.” 

She shook her head. “You have to remember this is the same guy who offered to let me move in with him when he found out I'd gotten evicted during the first conversation we ever had. Someone called him from shelter and he no doubt went into total hero mode.” She rested her cheek on her fist. “Probably a good thing I didn't go with him, I would have wanted to bring home two.” 

Her friend gave her a look. “I'd probably hide one in my dorm room closet if I thought I could get away with it.” 

*

Ben set the carrier down before unlocking the door. Rey had brought up a good point of how Arya was always waiting by the door for him; to have him return with another cat, one several years younger, wasn't exactly something she was expecting. He peered around the door and saw her sitting a few feet away, that big fluffy tail of hers sweeping back and forth. “Hello, Little Miss.” He reached behind him and pulled the carrier onto his shoulder; Ahsoka was nearly half Arya's weight. “I'm home.” He shut the door, and in a completely automatically gesture, he put the carrier back down and took off his coat, along with his backpack, which he'd taken carry the carrier earlier, and now held the new cat's things from the shelter.

Arya slunk down, then moved towards the front end of the carrier.

Inside the crate, Ahsoka let out a rather surprised meow, sharper and more pronounced than the other cat's.

“Oh, shit...” He shut the door and locked it, tossing his coat over the couch and dropped his keys on the floor. Arya dove after them instantly, then rolled over onto her back, looking up at him for approval. “You stay there.” He picked the carrier up and went the long way into his office, shutting the door firmly behind him before setting the case back down and unzipping the top. “You okay?” Ahsoka stood up, the soft lid balanced on her head, blinking her green eyes at him. “You can come out, it's fine.”

The handle of the far door rattled and then there was a thump, and Arya let out a loud chirp of annoyance. 

Ahsoka darted from the confines of the crate and went over to other door, meowing defiantly in a clear 'let me out' tone.

The handle rattled again as Arya once more tried to open it. 

Ben covered his eyes, shaking his head. “Are you kidding me?” He went over to the door, remembering what he'd read this morning as he'd gotten things ready. “Now, if you two start fighting, the door's getting locked again.” He ran his hand down Ahsoka's back comfortingly as he undid the lock and edged the door open, hoping he wasn't going to regret this. The short-hair ducked down, watching as Arya came forward, sniffing and the chirped, looking from the cat to him. “That's right, Little Miss. You can say hi.” Ahsoka slipped from under his hand, looking tiny next to the other cat, sniffing and let out a tiny meow, then stepped forward, sniffing. Arya sat down, watching the other cat and him, with the same detached look he could remember her giving his mother back in December. She chirped and the other cat came closer, lying down and watching her as well. “I should have known better. I found both of you in the exact same cage at Lake Side.” 

*

Rose was in the middle of her Concepts of Mathematics homework when her tablet pinged, and she grinned as she reached for it; Rey had added a new photograph to the cat album. She tapped the screen and instantly let out a rather silly giggle. There was Rey's giant of a roommate, asleep on their couch. The giant black fluff-ball named Arya was asleep on his left side, and a thinner, younger looking, but just as black kitty was asleep on the right, his hands resting on both of them. “Oh that is _adorable_.” She scanned the caption underneath. “Came back from class to find these three black haired goofballs asleep. The little one is called Ahsoka.” 

She chuckled as she gave the picture a 'love' on it. “I'd love to know how the two of them are already getting along already.” She set the tablet down and got back to work.


	24. Snowy Friday

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The sidewalks were freshly salted, and he could hear the faint crunch of his footsteps as he made his way home. He should also probably call his mother this afternoon; make sure things were still fine with her down in St. Louis. He chuckled, picturing what Doctor Andres would say about such a behavior. Actually calling his mother because he was worried, or just checking up – like a normal family, or as close to normal as the Organa-Solos could manage.

Ben didn't hand in his two weeks notice until after he was done with his shift. He'd liked working in the store, despite being bound by corporate rules which couldn't possibly be maintained one-hundred percent of the time and his suspicion at least half the staff was on something illegal to make them so chipper all the time. What he hadn't expected was to be told to not come in during the second week, stating it'd be simply be easier for everyone in the long run. It was one less thing to have to worry about, he supposed. 

He held his scarf up against his face as he walked up from the L, the snow already picking up in intensity. What was supposed to be six to nine inches was starting to surrender the the glorious phenomenon of 'lake effect' and it was expected to double in predicted depths by this time tomorrow. It was too early for Rey to be arriving from campus with Rose, and he wanted to do some last minute cleaning before they arrived. The two cats had been alone in the apartment for most of the day, and he had no idea if they were still getting along, or if things had taken a dramatic turn for the worse. 

The sidewalks were freshly salted, and he could hear the faint crunch of his footsteps as he made his way home. He should also probably call his mother this afternoon; make sure things were still fine with her down in St. Louis. He chuckled, picturing what Doctor Andres would say about such a behavior. Actually calling his mother because he was worried, or just checking up – like a normal family, or as close to normal as the Organa-Solos could manage. 

“Baby steps.” He muttered to himself as he came even with his building right after another figure turned onto the walk leading up to it was well. He watched the woman for a moment, in her knee-length pale pink wool coat, and he hurried in her wake to grab the door to hold it open for her, more out of habit than anything else. 

“Thank you.” The woman replied as they came into the building and then her eyes widened as she pulled down her scarf and then blinked at him, surprised. “Ben?”

He grinned. “I didn't know you lived in the building, Fours. Since when?”

“August.” She shook her head. “How did we not know this?”

“We probably weren't looking.” He went over to the mailboxes. “Not to mention I wasn't in too good of shape back in August.” He pulled out a small stack of envelopes, most of them looking like the typical junk. “Well, I guess this fixes any worries about traffic when we get Nate and Jen to Chicago.”

Jasmine opened her own mailbox, he noted it was one for the floor above him, shaking her head. “Serendipity, I suppose.” They went over to the elevators. “I should have called you sooner.” She hit the up button and the doors opened almost instantly. “Then again, it was the holidays.”

He hit the button for his floor, then for hers and the doors shut. “Completely understandable. Where are you working these days?”

She gave him a rather sheepish look. “I work at the Chanel counter up at Macy's.” She ran a hand through her hair, “who'd have thought it?” She sighed. “You still at Michael's?”

“Not for long.” He grinned. “I start working for First Order at the end of the month.” 

“Oh wow.” Her expression changed. “As what, a model?”

He laughed. “Who'd put my ugly mug in a magazine? I'm going to work as a receptionist. Not glamorous, but then, when did I care about such things?”

She gave him a look. “You're not ugly, Ben. And it sounds like an awesome job.” She leaned back against the wall of the car. 

Ben shifted on his feet, then he unwound his scarf from his neck. “It's going to be kind of weird, the last time we all saw each other, we were still in grade school.” 

She folded her arms, shaking her head. “People can argue it wasn't all that long ago, but it was. So much has happened since then. We've all...” She shook her head. “I'm going to throw a chair at Doctor Wainwright. Although such things probably frowned upon.” 

“Throw it across the room, it's probably considered therapeutic.” He arched an eyebrow. “Just don't break anything.” 

Jasmine snickered, rubbing the back of her neck. “She's the idiot who told me to find out what happened to Shelly.” 

He snorted. “Tell this Doctor Wainwright I said she should mind her own bloody business. If she doesn't listen, I'll call her up and tell her the same, and get Nate and Jen to join in. Nothing can put the fear of God back into a person like Sister Flora of the Sisters of Mercy stating she's disappointed in your behavior.” He frowned, then shook his head, knowing whomever the doctor was, they most likely meant well. Medicine of the mind was a puzzle he didn't want to try and figure out. “What's your diag-nonsense, Fours?”

“Borderline personality, which was brushed under the rug until college. Turns out it wasn't just poor adjustment to the move from Buffalo to Raleigh.” She held her hands out, “I was going into a school where the cliques were formed and no one wanted an outsider, not in seventh grade.” She made a disgusted noise, then gave him a slight grin. “How about you, BB?”

“Manic depression.” He shook his head. “Junior year of high school was hell.” 

She wrinkled her nose. “I can imagine.” the car slowed on his floor. “We should do dinner sometime. Not this weekend, but soon.” 

“Sounds great.” He stepped out as the doors opened. “My roommate and her friend need to make a snowman tomorrow morning. The poor things grew up in Texas and Florida and have never made one.” He grinned. “Catch you later, Fours.”

“Later, BB.” She returned the smile as the doors shut and he turned to his apartment.

Fishing his keys from his coat pocket, he paused, listening for any tell-tale signs of cats fighting, and, finding it quiet, unlocked the door and stepped inside. Arya was sitting in front of the door in her usual spot, watching him expectantly – Ahsoka was nowhere in sight. “Good afternoon, Little Miss.” He went through his usual routine, finishing with giving his pet a rub behind the ears. “I see you two behaved yourselves.” He looked around the apartment, noting that nothing was overturned or out of place. “Which makes me worry.” 

Arya chirped and walked off, brushing against the door of his office, and then, seemingly from nowhere, Ahsoka fell down on top of her, causing both of them to yowl, and while Arya shook the smaller cat off and vanished into his office, the other ran for him, then promptly started to climb up his jeans. “What in the world?” He was about reach for her when she reached his shirt and made her way up to his shoulder. “I am not a tree.” He pulled her down from her perch, holding her in his arms. “Where were you hiding?” He walked over to his office, noting the lack of disturbance here too. He set Ahsoka down, and she promptly jumped onto the easy chair, then onto its back, and while he watched, the cat leaped from her perch to the top of the door and sat down, legs tucked under her. 

From under his desk, Ayra chirped, sounding for all this world like a disgusted older sister.

“There's a children's book here somewhere.” He shook his head. “Play nice, Drawers and Doors.” He went out of his office, careful not to unseat the other cat and headed for the kitchen, he wanted to get his laundry put away before Rey got home.

*

Rey was thankful Rose didn't comment on what some might consider a long ride on the L, and with the Friday afternoon rush, it had been crowded. They made their way down the stairs towards the sidewalk, glad to be out of the crush of people. Today had been blessedly uneventful, and she saw Rose adjust her hat as they crossed the street. “It's not too much further.”

“I'm not objecting.” She replied, shaking her head. “I know this city is big, but when you stick to one part of it, you tend not to see it. I tell people it takes me twenty minutes to get to the beach when I'm at home, and they think something's a short distance, but according to some people, it's way too far.” 

“Well, Chicago is a big city, but at the same time, most of the things people come here for are relatively close to each other, so to speak.” They came up to her building. “This is us.” She stated and Rose stopped, looking up. “okay, wow. I love the architecture style already.” 

“It looks nicer when it's not covered in snow.” She quipped, and they hurried up the walk and she punched in the security code. You could barely make out anything of how the building looked in this weather. “Or so Ben tells me. The little yard was covered with snow when I moved in, and it's been covered ever since.” They went inside and she pulled her scarf down. “Good to be out of the wind.”

“Amen to that.” She answered as Rey checked the mailbox to find it empty. “Mail late?”

“Nope, Ben's home, then again, he must not have to had to stay late at work.” she replied as she hit the call button on the elevator and the door to the outside opened and a familiar figure stepped into the foyer. “Afternoon Gwen.” 

“Afternoon Rey.” the woman replied, coming over to join them. “Who's your friend?” She pulled her hat off, running her hand through her hair. 

“Rose, this is Gwen Phasma, she lives up on nineteen. Gwen, this is Rose Tico. We have Comp together.” The elevator doors opened and they all got inside. “And in case you were wondering, the noise in eighteen-A is because they're moving out.”

“Nice to meet you, Miss Tico.” Gwen replied, pulling off her gloves. “Do we know who's moving in?”

“I'd suggest asking eighteen-B, they're the most likely to know.” She hit the buttons for their floors. “Do you go to Spring Training, or not?”

“I go for a few days throughout. Go to Arizona, have a dose of sunshine, come back.” She grinned. “Although I think last November's events will do half of my job for me.” 

Rose looked slightly unnerved, or at least, a little lost. “Nice to meet you too, Ms Phasma.” She answered, rubbing her nose.

The older woman grinned knowingly. “It's all right, Rose. I know how I come across, but I'm actually harmless.”

Rey snorted. “Right, and tomorrow it's going to be sunny and seventy degrees.” She shook her head. “How's Leslie?”

“She's in New York, trying to work out some release dates for some upcoming books. There's a couple of tie-in books for movies due out later in the year, so it's a mess.” She pinched the bridge of her nose. “By the way, did I hear Ben correctly when he informed me he went and got a second cat?”

“Yes.” She grinned. “The shelter is closing, and well, he said he went down there just to look, and he came back with a black short-hair with big green eyes.” She looked over at Rose. “Although when you compare the two, Ahsoka is a ball of pure energy next to Arya.” The elevator slowed. “And the two of them get along. That's a plus.”

“You kids have fun this evening.” Gwen said as the doors opened. “Stay out of trouble.” 

“Well, we won't look for it, but if it knocks on the door, we may let it in.” Rose answered as they stepped out and the woman laughed as the doors closed. “She's nice.”

“Yeah. I met her when came downstairs looking for sugar on Thanksgiving.” Rey took out her keys. “You should see her when she's wearing heels, she's nearly seven feet tall.” 

“I bet.” They went inside. “I should order the pizza soon, due to weather and the fact it's Friday.” 

“Good idea.” Rey took off her coat and boots, setting her bag down. “Hello?”

“Kitchen.” Ben called, “is Ahsoka still on top of the door of my office?”

“On top of the door?” She shrugged at Rose and then went over to check, and sure enough, the small black feline was perched on the door, looking perfectly content. “That cannot be comfortable.” Arya brushed against her leg, chirping. “Or are you trying to stake some territory?” She shook her head as the other cat when over to Rose and sat down, looking up at her. 

“Hello!” Rose crouched down. “Oh, you are so fluffy!”

“She's a diva.” Ben retorted and came into the living room. “Aren't you, Little Miss?” The cat chirped and walked over to him, hiding behind his legs. “I'm Ben, you must be Rose.”

“Yeah.” She grinned. “Nice to meet you.”

“Likewise.” He answered as Rey came over and kissed his cheek. “How was school?”

“Fine. How was work?” This was sort of strange, having a guest in their apartment; it'd been the two of them for so long, having a third person was rather awkward. It wasn't like when the Phasmas came by; it was something she couldn't quite explain. 

“They told me to not bother coming in week after next.” He shrugged and picked Arya up. “I'm surprisingly fine with it.” He looked over at Rose. “I start a new job in two weeks, had to tell the old job I'm quitting.” 

“I know how that goes.” Rose cleared her throat. “Thanks again for letting me come over.”

“Not a problem.” Rey shook her head. “I met her roommate. She's like what would happen if we gave Anna a Monster and a make-over at Abercombie.”

Ben's whole face recoiled. “Oh, shit, that's frightening.” He went into the kitchen as Rose came over to her.

“Who's Anna?” She whispered, her face looking concerned.

“Ben's cousin.” She shook her head. “It'll be all right. Don't worry.” 

“Not worried.” She took her phone out of her back pocket. “What do you two like on your pizza?”

“Meat!” Ben called from the kitchen. “Meat and more meat. Provided its not anchovies.” 

“I'm not picky either.” Rey stated. “Although I refuse to eat it with pineapple, no matter how much Ben tells me it's good.”

“Oh, thank god, one of you likes it!” Rose leaned into the kitchen. “You have an issue with mushrooms with your pineapple, Ben?”

“Mushrooms are good.” He answered and Rey shook her head. “I know you like them too!” He called.

“I know, my friends in Texas think I'm weird for wanting them on my pizza all the time.” She turned to Rose. “I'll watch you guys eat pineapple on your pizza, but if you fight over the last slice, I'll eat it out of spite, _after_ picking the fruit off.”

“One supreme, one Hawaiian with mushrooms, two orders of bread-sticks, one cheese, one cinnamon. What's your opinion on crust?” She started taping numbers on her phone.

“Yes, we would like crust with our pizza.” Rey deadpanned, and Ben started to laugh -a moment later, so did Rose. She grinned as Arya slipped out of the kitchen and ran full tilt at the office door, unseating Ahsoka, then raced back across the apartment, the smaller cat right after her. 

“That is not playing nicely!” Ben admonished from the doorway and the two cats came back out of the studio, the smaller cat going for him and climbing up his leg, as Arya chirped indignantly, stepping up on her hind legs to grab his jeans while Ahsoka settled on his shoulders. “I am not a tree!”

“Come here, Little Miss.” Rey bent down and picked Arya up, glancing over at Rose, who was trying to repress her laughter as she stepped into the kitchen, out of the way of the two cats. “Goodness, such drama.” She adjusted her hold as the cat chirped, then started to purr. “See, it's all right.”

“Well, it's a start.” Ben remarked, glancing over towards Rose who was sticking her phone back into her back pocket. “Maybe this is these two playing nicely.” 

“Possibly.” Rose interjected. “Our three cats routinely push one another off the couch, like they're playing some weird king-of-the-mountain game.” She rolled her eyes. “They also tend to freak out as a group when my family uses the swimming pool. At least your cats seem to be relatively quiet – the only time the ones at my house regularly shut up is when they're eating.”

Ahsoka climbed down Ben's back, jumping when she reached his waist, and Arya squirmed out of Rey's grip, and the two started to chase each other, this time heading for Ben's office at the front of the apartment. “I hope the picture frames survive.”

He shook his head. “I put them all away when I thought I'd be keeping Ahsoka isolated for a few days.”

“Smart move.” Rose interjected. “Dinner should be here in about forty-five minutes, they told me the weather is causing a bit of a backlog.” 

“No problem.” Rey guided her friend into the kitchen, suddenly feeling the need to not let Ben and her be alone together. It was stupid to be jealous, but at the same time, it was – well, it wasn't something she was used to; it was easier to be the company than to have the company come over, she supposed. “You want something to drink? Water, tea, ginger-ale, coffee?”

“Ginger-ale sounds great.” she was looking around the kitchen, rather confused and then moved closer to her, speaking softly. “Did you two murder an old lady and stash her somewhere?”

She laughed. “No, the old lady moved to Arizona to live with Ben's grandmother three years ago.” She opened the fridge and took out a can of ginger-ale. “You want a glass?”

“Please.” Rose answered, smiling as she took it.“Thank you.” 

“No problem.” She turned to get one out of the cupboard, the boiling, jealous feeling slowly abating. 

*

It was an odd thing for Leia to watch the snow whirling outside her window, knowing she didn't need to worry about shoveling a driveway. She'd left all but one of her snow-shovels behind, taking only the one she carried when she might have to dig her car out. She didn't trust this Midwestern weather. True, foot-deep snows were uncommon, she'd rather be safe than sorry. She took a sip of hot chocolate and leaned against the window, glancing down towards the street, where, despite the weather, dozens of people were walking past, out and about on a Friday night. Evidently, this snow didn't bother them any more than it worried her. 

“Work Monday.” She went back to the couch, sitting down and tucking her feet under her. It'd be easier once she started working, doing something with her day besides adjusting to her new home. She set her mug down as her phone started to ring, and she picked it up, shaking her head as she answered it. “Hi, mom.” 

“Hi, sweetie.” Her mother let out a sniffle, and Leia frowned. “How are you?”

“I'm good, are you sick?” She worried her bottom lip. “I know it's not allergies.” 

“No, not sick.” Padme sighed. “I'm all flustered, the Air Crash people are going to be here on Monday, and I'm not looking forward to it.” 

She cursed softly. “I don't think anyone would.” She wracked her brain, not quite certain what she was supposed to say in this situation. She also didn't want to think about the crash two weeks ago. The pain there was still fresh. So she went with her long trusted solution to these sorts of discussions. She changed the subject. “How was the rest of your time at Luke's, I haven't asked.” 

Her mother laughed. “Those kids of your brother's are exhausting. I don't know how he and Mara do it. Then again, they're used to it.” 

Leia chuckled and took a drink from her mug. “Maybe it's because it's winter and they're mostly shut up indoors.” She remembered something she had read in a letter from her brother, years ago. “Daisy's the only one who stays inside consistently, yes?”

“She's gotten better at being outdoors, although I think she enjoys doing things inside more, unless it has to do with those horses.” She chuckled. “Biggest horse girl I ever saw, even more so than you.” 

She took a breath. “I don't think Daisy's ever going to grow out of her horse phase, mom.” She wrinkled her nose. “Although I will admit to watching the Triple Crown every year, without fail.” She let out a small chuckle. “I remember the time dad – Bail...” 

“I know who you mean, honey, go on.” Her mother cleared her throat. “It's all right.”

“Remember the time we drove down to Kentucky for a road-trip and saw Secretariat? Luke and I were what, fifteen?” She shook her head. “Memorial Day weekend, right before Luke went to South Dakota for the summer.” 

“I do remember. We always used to go on a trip during around that particular weekend, even if it was just to the coast for a few days.” Padme made another noise, halfway between a sob and a sniffle. “God, where has the time gone, Leia Shmi?”

She shook her head, hating herself for all the time she herself had wasted. “It went when we weren't looking, mom.” She reached over and grabbed the blanket on the other side of the couch, shaking it out and then tucking it around her. “I'm disgusted enough with my own behavior, I may never forgive myself for what I've done with Ben.” 

Padme gave a slight laugh. “You're trying to improve it, which is better than giving up. Then again, I didn't raise you or your brother to give up, did I?”

Leia smiled. “No, mom. You didn't.” She glanced over at the window. “How's the weather? It's snowing here.”

“Clear, the sun's going down.” She sighed. “I'm not looking forward to those people coming Monday. Even though I've given myself time to prepare and I've done this before, it somehow makes seem like the crash was this past May, not one almost forty-seven years ago.” 

Leia blinked and then swallowed. “Mom, when did Luke and I get so old?” 

Padme laughed. “Don't tell your brother he's old, he'll never believe it.” She sighed. “Speaking of staying in touch, I know you refuse to join Facebook, and I don't blame you, nest of vipers it is, but I feel no shame in telling you that now Ben has two cats.” 

She laughed. “Are you sure it's not Rey's cat?” 

“No, it's not. Apparently the shelter where he got Arya is closing and he swore he went down there just to look, and came back home with another black cat – this one apparently likes to perch on top of open doors.” She chuckled. “Her name is Ahsoka, but where he got the name, I have no idea.”

She swallowed, the name instantly jolting her memory. “Ahsoka was the name of Ben's imaginary friend.” she closed her eyes. “She only came around to join him for dinners when he was alone.” She could clearly see the kitchen table, set for three, and her son talking to the empty chair across from him. “When I asked him where Ahsoka got the name, he said she was a friend of his grandpa – meaning dad. I think he may have read the name somewhere.” 

Her mother was quiet for a moment, and then swallowed. “Now I remember that name. Ahsoka Tano was a girl your father went to grade-school with. He rarely talked about her, it was too painful for him – she died in the measles epidemic that hit South Dakota when your father was around thirteen.” 

“Shit.” Leia covered her eyes. “Is there anyone in this family who doesn't have any trauma in their childhood?” 

“Mara.” Her mother offered. “I don't like thinking about what your brother's children may have seen before they came to the farm. Rather makes me glad that Anna and Elisa were so young when they were brought there – they can't remember anything but De Smet.” 

“We take our blessings as we get them.” She tucked her phone under her chin and grabbed her mug, deciding to try another subject change. “I need to get back into reading for fun. You still in that book club?”

Padme laughed. “I see you're trying to change the topic – and I'm not objecting.” She paused. “Depends on what you want to read, sweetie, fiction or non.” 

*

Rose hadn't exactly been lying when she said she wanted to escape her overly-giggly roommate and all of her friends this Friday night. She did, but at the same time, she had wanted to see more than what she was used to. Her high school had been full of girls like Cari – she herself had been one of those girls. Why did it annoy her now, when this time last year, she'd have joined in? College was supposed to be about learning and expanding your horizons. Coming here, to Rey's apartment – it was strange. 

She could ascertain that Ben was from a similar upbringing to hers, probably had the same sort of parents who insisted on top grades and model behavior. She knew the type almost instantly. Happy families are all alike, Tolstoy had said, unhappy ones were all unhappy in their own way. Kids who grew up like them usually had plenty to hide, and whatever Ben was hiding, she wasn't going to ask. Not only was it none of her business, she didn't want to unearth her own demons anymore than she wanted to know about others. An upbringing where everything was a competition, between siblings, between classmates, between everyone; a strange sort of war the participants could never quite explain.

Rey was another sort of individual – something wholly unfamiliar to her suburban upper middle-class life in Florida. All Rose knew was that Rey's parents died when she was little, but offered no other details about what had happened between then and now. Rose suspected Ben didn't even know every story connected to the other young woman's past. Most likely one nightmare after another, things that she'd only read about in books and glimpsed at on television shows. A Hell the likes of which she couldn't even imagine.

She tugged the pillow under her chin, not even thinking to question the fact Ben and Rey were sleeping together in the other room. She didn't see anything wrong with it personally; her gran had told her repeatedly to 'worry about your own behavior' and since she knew Rey was nineteen and Ben was twenty-four, age wasn't a factor. Really, given how cool it had been in the studio where the futon was, she was rather glad of the snug bed to sleep in. Even if it smelled strongly of Febreeze rain-scent. 

Not going to Georgetown had been her first act of rebellion. 

She didn't need her family legacy following her around anymore, a smothering weight she had only recently started to push away.

Not going through Rush had been her second.

It was supposed to feel good, make her feel independent – and instead, she was starting to feel rather like a disappointment. Her mother hadn't said anything when she told her about not pledging to a sorority, nothing negative, at least – only wanting to know if she changed her mind, so she could go through the process next year, so there could be letters of recommendation written. All the friends she had made last semester were now pledges to at least a seven separate sororities, leaving her alone on the outside. Friends divided and compartmentalized like cliques in high school. 

The door creaked open and Rose bolted upright, catching sight of the lithe feline that slunk into the room, padding over to the bed and then a moment later, was walking down towards her, sniffing. “Can't sleep either, huh?” She laid back down and Ahsoka stretched out beside her, and she set a hand on the cat's back, relaxing as she petted the animal. “Pretty kitty.” She smiled and the cat rolled onto its side, yawning. “Sleep does sound nice.” She closed her eyes, her hand stilling as she drifted off. 

Tomorrow, she and Rey were going to build a snowman.


	25. Best Laid Plans

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Morning, sleepyhead.” Ben spoke up from the dining room table, looking far too awake and too chipper for six-thirty in the morning. 
> 
> “What time did you get up?” She paused, setting her phone at her place at the table. “Wait, no conversations before coffee.” She went into the kitchen, still feeling bleary as she took her mug from the drying rack by the sink.

From: benorganasolo@gmail.com  
To:jenquirk1992@gmail.com, jasmine_fours@hotmail.com, nate_turbine_engine@gmail.com  
Subject: The Box Part 2

Hey guys, 

Since the universe decides to work in mysterious ways once again as Jasmine and I have learned we live in the same building, plans could come together a lot sooner than May. Nate, you're the only one who doesn't live within a three hour drive, so it's a matter of you getting up here more than anything, I think.

Memorial Day is a nightmare to travel, and I'll be in South Dakota around that time for my cousin's graduation. No, I don't know how Anna got to be that old. If anyone would like to present an argument to my grandmother about how I don't need to be there any longer than two days, please let me know so I can arrange for it to be recorded.

I've given it some thought, and I think it's time to reclaim Shelly's birthday in March, or at least try and redeem the month entirely. 

Yes, college boy gets a spring break, but I do have to work.

We need to make this happen, guys – the box has waited long enough.

Ben

*

Rey covered her mouth and yawned as she came out of her room. She'd stayed up late last night working on a project for her Acrylics class, and, not wanting to disturb Ben, who had gone to bed early in preparation for his first day at his new job, had slept in her own bed. She'd woken up to find Ahsoka perched on the pillow next to hers, purring away with all the intensity of a lawnmower. The cat was still there, oblivious to the motion of her getting out of the bed. If Ayra could be woken up at the drop of a pin, Ahsoka could sleep through a tornado. 

“Morning, sleepyhead.” Ben spoke up from the dining room table, looking far too awake and too chipper for six-thirty in the morning. 

“What time did you get up?” She paused, setting her phone at her place at the table. “Wait, no conversations before coffee.” She went into the kitchen, still feeling bleary as she took her mug from the drying rack by the sink.

“I've been up for an hour, and I got out the silver pot again. It's next to the Keurig.” He answered as she went into the kitchen. Two weeks ago, when Rose stayed over, he'd gotten out the percolator coffee maker, stating it'd be simpler and more convenient to use the machine, rather than them having to take turns using the usual pot. It turned out giving her friend octane-level coffee was a bit of a problem, as the girl, who was already a morning person, went straight into super-perky mode with what most would consider an unhealthy amount of caffeine in their system.

She poured some coffee into her mug and returned to the dining room, sitting down across from Ben. “How long is your commute?”

“Ten minutes on the L, then a nice walk up Michigan Avenue.” He chuckled, taking a drink from his mug. “Better than a twenty minute ride and dodging slush piles at the shopping center. Still wearing my boots to get there.” 

“Don't blame you, I've seen your shoes.” She rubbed her eyes. “I think I stayed up too late last night. But when you finally get the shade mixed to the exact color you want, you tend to want to stick with it, if you know what I mean.” 

“I do.” He chuckled. “I've lost sleep because I finally figured out a block in a conversation and the next thing I know, it's twelve pages and three hours later.” He took a drink from his mug, running a hand through his hair. “I think you may be home first this evening.” He paused. “Ahsoka asleep in your room?”

“Uh huh. I'm starting to think she likes me more than you.” She smirked over the rim of her mug. “While the two of them get along, I don't think Arya really likes sharing humans, even though she pretends to. I know she won't let Ahsoka sleep on your bed.” 

He shook his head. “I also know they won't share a perch. Not for any length of time. I'm also certain Arya pushes doors Ahsoka's on top of on purpose.” He drained the last of the contents of his mug. “I'm going to finish getting ready.” He gave her a wry grin. “This whole adult thing looked a lot more exciting at thirteen.” 

Rey chuckled, setting her mug down and hitting the pass-code on her phone. “Fine thing to say on your first day of your first full time job.” She grimaced at the weather info on her screen. “Five degrees. Today's high is _twenty_.” She looked up at him. “Is this normal or is this a cold snap?”

“It's not the work, far from it – they don't tell you about the commutes in the cold, traffic, and taxes in school.” He got up and kissed her cheek. “And this is normal January weather. But it won't stay this bitter for too much longer. It'll warm up to the thirties by February.” 

“Not very encouraging, but at least there's no snow in the forecast.” She smiled and kissed his chin and watched as he went into the bathroom. Ahsoka swished out of her room, pausing by the table and letting out a meow. She snickered. “I don't suppose you made the bed, did you?” The cat swept into the kitchen in reply, and a moment later, Rey heard her munching on kibble. “You can have breakfast first.” 

She shook her head and took another sip of coffee as low buzz of Ben's electric razor came from the bath, watching as Arya came out of Ben's room and sat down in the middle of the floor, and started to give herself a bath. “I know you didn't.” Her phone buzzed as she got new text message from Finn and she looked down, chuckling.

_Just saw the weather report for Chicago. Don't forget to layer!_

She snickered and fired back a reply.

_I know how to dress in this. No snow, at least._

The door of the bathroom opened and she glanced back at Ben. “You want me to throw dinner together in the crock-pot before I leave?”

“If you want.” He answered as he went into his room and she heard the muffled noise of his dresser. “Pick one of the ready-to-heat mixes I put together last week, unless you feel like making something yourself before you go.”

“I don't think that's a good idea.” She picked up her mug and went to the door of Ben's room, leaning against the threshold, taking a sip of coffee. “Not without directions.” 

He chuckled as he changed out of sweats into a pair of slacks. “This is why we have the internet and aren't afraid to use it.” He grinned. “Not to mention we have cookbooks.” 

“I know, but knowing me and my cooking abilities, I'm liable to think one thing is a perfectly suitable replacement for another, simply because of a similar name.” She looked down into her mug. “Like garlic salt and garlic powder.” 

“I won't tell Daisy.” Ben replied as he pulled on a dress shirt, buttoning it up. “But then there's the other thing about starting from scratch. Knowing you'll have to take the trash out before you leave.” 

“I did that yesterday afternoon.” She took another drink of coffee, keeping her focus on her mug. “You nervous about your first day?”

“Not entirely.” He finished tucking his shirt into his pants and walked towards her, pressing a kiss to her chin. “I'm glad I don't have to wear a tie. Pretty sure most of the ones I have wouldn't be considered professional.”

“I haven't seen your ties, so I can't comment.” She shifted to the other side of the door, so she could see him. “I didn't know you owned any. You didn't wear one when we went out on New Year's, or to dinner back in November.” 

“Neither situation called for it.” He paused. “Besides, I was told to not wear anything with obvious labels. I'm not going to walk into my new job wearing one of my comic character ties and find myself declaring a side in a fandom war I didn't know was going on.” 

“The long battle between Marvel and DC goes on.” She grinned. “And let me guess, you see the merits of both.” 

“Exactly.” He scanned the contents of his closet before stopped, and turned to look at her. “I'm already dressed, what am I looking for in here?”

Rey chuckled. “Have you started to hang up your socks?” she came into the room, setting her cup down on the bedside table before wrapping her arms around him. “don't worry, I won't muss up your shirt.” 

He hugged her in reply, pressing his lips against her scalp. “How'd you sleep?”

She sighed, her grip tightening. “Exhaustion helped. You?”

“Pretty good. I knew you were in the middle of a creative rush, so I didn't want to interrupt you.” His hand rubbed her back in slow circles. “I've come to the conclusion it's rather nice when we are both either doing nothing, or are both busy.”

“Agreed.” She pulled away, kissing him softly. “You don't want to be late on your first day.” 

“Yeah.” He hugged her again. “We should teach the cats to make the beds.” 

“We should show them some YouTube videos.” she smirked and took up her mug, heading for the door. “Then again, those two should have their own channel.” There was a thump followed by a yowl elsewhere in the apartment. “Arya! Play nice!” She grinned back at him. “I'm going to find some breakfast before I get ready for school.” 

“You're legally an adult, you don't need me to tell you what order to do things in.” Ben quipped as he went over to his dresser and took out a pair of socks. 

*

There was something oddly childlike in hitting buttons in an elevator. Even though nearly every day since Ben arrived in Chicago had begun and ended with the task, and he'd been down to the office building for training in the past week, there was something magical about pressing the button to take you up to your destination. 

The other occupants in the car were dressed similar to him; office workers heading for jobs in law firms, accounting offices, and who knew what else was located in this tower. As the car came to stop on the thirty, everyone, save for him and a rather pleasant looking woman around his mother's age exited. As the doors shut, she looked over at him.

“Good morning.” she stated, glancing at the floor buttons then back at him. “You're new with First Order, aren't you?”

“Yes, ma'am.” He replied. “And good morning.” 

She chuckled. “And so well mannered too.” She adjusted the hold on her bag. “I've worked for twenty-years for Hagen and McCormick, it's a law firm.”

He returned her smile. “Take it you've seen your share of people heading up where I'm going.” 

“Oh yes, so many I've lost track at this point.” She cleared her throat. “You look like you have a good head on your shoulders. More than most who I've seen.” The elevator slowed and the doors opened. “You have a good day, young man.” 

“You too.” He answered as she went out onto her floor and he continued upwards, alone, and unwound his scarf from around his neck as the car slowed again, and he stepped out onto the sixtieth floor, facing the large glass entry way, with 'First Order' embossed upon it, the doors perfectly centered between the two words. Lifting his chin, he stepped into the entry way, and walked around behind the long desk facing the entrance and sat down, changing from his boots to his dress shoes, and then setting them out of sight, before putting his coat and scarf in one large drawer and his messenger bag in the other. 

The whole entry reminded him of a study in chrome and contrast. The walls were white, the tile was black and white checked, and he was sitting behind a long black desk, and as he adjusted his name badge and signed onto the computer, he glanced around, sniffing. The scent of something – strange hung in the air. A combination of clean, coffee and cologne. “I'm wearing color from now on.” He whispered to himself as he heard the outer door open and he looked up, smiling politely. “Good morning, Ms Teva.” 

“Hi.” The thirty-something came over to him and drew a file folder from her bag. “The only people I want to see or talk to today will be from _Seventeen_. Take messages from anyone else, because if I wanted to speak to them, they'd have my cell.” She took off her sunglasses, pushing them up onto the top of her head. “Do I look hungover?” 

Ben blinked at the woman, not entirely certain if she was being serious. He'd not seen many hungover people in his life, and had only been hungover himself once. She didn't look like she'd spent her weekend drinking, at least not in mass quantities. “No, I'd say it's more of a 'I spent a weekend with my sister in law whom I can't stand and I had to be super happy about it' look.” 

The woman held her hand over her mouth to cover a snort. “You're funny, Benjamin. And wear some color tomorrow. You look like part of the décor.” 

“Yes, ma'am.” He replied as she walked away and the phone rang. “First Order, how may I direct your call?”

“This is Ackles. I'm stuck ten miles back in this traffic nightmare on the loop.” Ben started to scribble the note down. “It's a fair bet a few others are trapped as well. I'll be there soon as I can.” 

“Stay safe.” Ben replied as the call ended, trying to place the man's name. He flipped through the directory in front of him. Ackles was a photographer. Even though it was January, the company was already gearing up for the summer. The doors opened again and Mitaka came through them, juggling what appeared to be half a set of luggage, a briefcase, and a large thermal mug. “Do you need some help?”

The man set the mug down, his hand trembling slightly. “I'm fine.” He set his bags down and pulled off his coat. “Let me get things rearranged here.” He picked up the carry-on and draped his coat over it, then hooked his suit-bag over the handle of his rolling-case. “You're not wearing a tie!” He opened the carry-on bag, looking for something.

“I didn't want to wear something with a...” His voice died in his throat at Mitaka drew out an aubergine jacquard length of cloth; and he realized it was a tie a moment before the man threw it around his neck. “Uh...”

“Do it up. I know you know how.” Mitaka waved his hand at him before zipping the bag closed. “Go on.” 

Rather than ask what the hell the man was thinking, he automatically went through the motions of fixing the tie, looking down at the cloth rather than at the man across from him. Once he was done, he lifted his chin. “I was informed I didn't need to wear a tie, Mr. Mitaka.” 

“You're too pale to wear just black and white and sit in this lobby. If I hadn't put color on you, someone else would have, or worse.” He took a drink from his mug and leaned over, adjusting the tie. “Now, if all you have is ties with fictional characters on them, it's perfectly fine. Some people could sit in this lobby and pull of neutrals, but not you. You're the kind who needs to wear color or you look ill.” 

“I'll be sure to return it before I leave today.” He hadn't had anyone tell him how to dress in well, ever. He resumed his seat as Mitaka began picking up his bags again, this time in a more orderly alignment. “Where did you come from? Or are you headed out somewhere later?”

“Bother returning it, I can't wear purple and I doubt the person who gave it to me will ever know. I've been in Japan, do you know if Marcie is in yet?” He put his mug down again as he set the carry-on over the top of his roller-bag, then looked at his watch. “You have met my assistant, haven't you?”

Ben nodded. “I have met Marcie, but I don't...” He stopped as the door behind them opened again, and the woman herself swept into the room, looking as if she'd run up the stairs instead of taking the elevator. “Good morning.”

“I'm so sorry I wasn't there to pick you up from the airport, Mr. Mitaka, she looked ready to burst into tears. “There was traffic, and I had...” 

The man turned and smiled. “It's fine, Marcie.” He shook his head. “I realized when I was in baggage claim it's your week to drive the carpool, and I was able to get a cab.” 

She took two of the bags from him, her face still flustered. “I still feel I should...” 

“It's all right, calm down. It's Monday and thank god the weather, while cold, is clear.” He gave her a smile. “Have a nice day, Benjamin.” He nodded and the two of them went down the hallway. “You can give me a full report once we're in my office, Marcie.” 

Ben took a breath as the phone rang again. “This is going to be interesting, to say the least.” He cleared his throat and picked up the receiver. “First Order, how may I direct your call?”

*

Rey set her bag down in the chair across from Rose. “Hey.” The other girl looked up as she took off her coat. “Would you mind watching my bag? I forgot my lunch at home. Going to go grab something.” 

The girl smiled, opening her carton of milk. “Not a problem. I recommend anything from the noodle station. It's one of the few things they haven't managed to destroy yet.” 

“Thanks. Can't eat only fries for lunch. Well, not and expect to fill myself up.” She grinned, sticking her wallet in the pocket of her hoodie and headed into the food-court area, and joined the queue for the noodle station, her mind more on food than anything else. There weren't many people in her line, and she scanned the menu, her stomach rumbling. She glanced to her left, where there was a sandwich station, and on her right, pizza. She rubbed the back of her neck as she reached the front of the line.

“What can I get ya today?” The woman behind the counter gave her a smile.

Rey scanned the contents in front of her, pulling a tray off the pile and set it on the narrow counter in front of the stand. “Beef and broccoli bowl, with the buckwheat noddles please.”

“Coming right up.” The woman took up a bowl and started to put the dish together. 

The noise in the food-court area reminded her of high school, only with three times the people. When the lady handed her the bowl, she set it on the tray and went over to the bank of coolers and grabbed a bottle of tea, and after paying for the meal and grabbing a pair of chopsticks and a spoon from the next counter, returned to the table, where Rose was poking at her mashed potatoes. “Are you okay?”

“Cramps.” She replied as Rey set her bag on the floor and sat down. “I don't suppose I can convince you to take my World Geography quiz?”

She laughed. “Sorry, I've got Intro to Art History and we've got a Google Doc started for notes, because the professor doesn't believe in posting his lectures online.” She grinned. “I sit in the front, and he has a tendency to change the infliction of his voice. So someone has to get down the mumbles. Then I have to go the Financial Aide office, they said they needed to talk to me about my application form. I probably forgot to initial something on it.” 

“Yeesh.” Rose sliced her meatballs in half. “It's not a matter of not knowing the material, but I think I'm sick of identifying the States. How do you get out of grade school and not know where they all are?”

Rey snapped the chopsticks apart and rubbed the ends. “I have no idea. I can understand not knowing how to spell them all correctly, but yeah, you should know where they all are by now.” She wrinkled her nose. “States and capitals?” 

“No, thank god.” She scooped mashed potatoes on her fork and capped it with a meatball half. “We had a debate last week if merely going to the airport in a State counts on you visiting the State. There's a guy who's been to all but seven of the States, but only if you count the airports in nine of them.” 

She frowned. “Guy's what, nineteen? He's got time to visit the sixteen remaining ones.” She paused. “I think the airport doesn't count, but driving through through the State should.” She ate a few of her noodles, and she paused; she knew this broth – this tasted like Mrs. Dameron's cooking. She ate a little more.

“Agreed. Geography can't exactly be interesting when you make it a general thing.” Rose grimaced, “best I can tell, this class is so we know where things are in case the technological apocalypse happens and GPS and the Internet no longer work.” 

Rey snorted. “I think the more important things will be toilet paper and bottled water if that happens.” She leaned over the bowl so she could eat some of the noodles and not get the sauce all over herself.

“I don't want to be in Chicago if it does. I've read the _Divergent_ series.” She shook her head. “I only did because it's what all the girls were reading our freshman year of high school. _Hunger Games_ was _vastly_ superior.” 

“I never read _Divergent_ , so I can't agree or disagree.” She worked her chopsticks to pick up a hunk of broccoli. “However, most of the girls I went to school with completely skipped over _Twilight_ and all the teenage vampire crud and went straight to _Sookie Stackhouse_.” She smirked. “Well, some of them did.” 

Rose chuckled. “Girls in my class were divided into four groups – vampires, angels, sports, and rereading _Harry Potter_ for the seventy-fifth time.” She stabbed a meatball. “Sports. Volleyball.” 

She opened her bottle of tea, “I didn't do a lot of reading in high school that wasn't related to school work. My only goal for those four years was to get good enough grades to get into De Paul.” She glanced across the table to see her friend eating a few more mashed potatoes, and nodding in response. “Let me guess, plenty of kids in your class with similar goals?”

“The school everyone was trying for was UF in Gainesville.” She cleared her throat. “If you were a sport, and trying to get into a different one, you didn't talk about it. I'm sure you had people who would rather come to school in their pajamas than admit they were trying to into Kansas University instead of Texas.” 

“My school didn't have uniforms, so people actually _did_ come to school in their pajamas on occasion.” she grinned. “But I know exactly what you mean. Fortunately, my class was large enough that if you weren't part of the popular crowd, no one really cared where you were going to college. My friends went to Georgia U together, and spent half of Junior year trying to get me to go with them.” 

Her friend's face scrunched up. “You don't want to go to Georgia. The weather there is _awful_.” 

She laughed. “Says the girl who's up here with a foot of half of snow on the ground, regular below freezing temperatures and wind that can't be overcome, no matter how many layers you wear.”

“After eighteen years of humidity and a winter that barely deserves the name, I love it up here.” She ate a little more of her lunch. “There was a kid in my class who's over at Harvard, and another at Yale. I can't imagine their weather is much better, and we're bound to have better snow removal.” 

Rey rested her chin against her hand, setting her chopsticks down and picking up her spoon. “I think they have more trees to contend with – and I think they have more ice.”

“Snow any day over ice.” She shuddered. “Although, I could use a little more thirty-degree days as opposed to ten degree ones.” 

“I thought people were lying to me when I was told I was going to look forward to those kinds of days.” she mixed her noodles up, then sliced a few against the side of the bowl. “I've been thinking of going back to Texas for spring break and surprising my friends. I don't know what I'm going to do this summer. Maybe an internship, maybe work – I haven't entirely planned to stay in Chicago, but I still might. Kind of hard to think about summer when it's cold as all get out.” 

“There's an internship this summer I saw on a bulletin board when I was coming out of my Geology class. It's to track storms in the field in the Great Plains. It's open to everyone, but I don't think the school at large knows about it yet.” Rose's face lit up with excitement. “You should totally apply for it!” 

She shook her head, wondering how Rose even thought she would want to spend her summer tornado chasing. “I was planning on working this summer. Riding around in the back of a minivan, chasing storm clouds with who knows what sort of people isn't exactly my cup of tea.” Not to mention she wasn't any kind of science major, so why would she have a chance? Besides, if she got it, she'd probably be the only girl and who knew what kind of misogyny she could be facing. 

“It's a paid internship, Rey. I can't do it because I have to go home to Florida and help my grandparents.” Her whole face was beaming. “You're from Texas, you can't be scared away by little F-1 tornadoes and severe thunderstorms. I'll get you an application from Professor Jameson, and I'm sure you can finagle it around so it can count as your second gen-ed for science.” 

It was clear Rose was way too excited about this. Storm chasing wasn't exactly something she had ever thought about. Although managing to get credit for a class and get paid at the same time? Maybe. “I'll think it over, okay? Not saying yes or no, I'm giving you a definite maybe.” She picked her chopsticks up again, holding them over the bowl, “besides, I don't think it'd be fair if I took the internship away from someone who's majoring in the subject.” She pursed her lips. “Wonder if I could get hired as a mechanic for the project. I can't replace a hail-damaged windshield, but there's always something needing fixing on a car.” 

Her friend's expression changed slightly, and she picked up her fork. “I'll find out all the professors and contacts for you, just in case, okay?”

“Sure.” Rey gave her a slow smile. “I'd appreciate it.” 

*

Much to Diana's relief, less than a week after all the holiday decorations were put away, her aunt and uncle's house finally stopped looking like it was waiting for a magazine shoot and started to appear like people actually lived there. While still kept mostly clean and everything still matched, it didn't seem quite so bad anymore. The lack of the color-coordinated Christmas decorations helped. 

She set her pencil down, looking over her finished math homework. It was the only class she actually liked, maybe because it was the only one where she didn't need to check her Dutch/English dictionary. She sighed and closed her textbook, cleaning up her space on the kitchen table as the door to the garage opened and Aunt Amelia came inside. “Hi.” 

“Hi, honey.” The woman gave her a tired smile. “Done with homework?”

“Yes, mostly.” She wrinkled her nose. “I was assigned Holland for the countries report.” She gave her aunt a look. “I'm tempted to write it in Dutch.” 

“I think your teacher would most likely dump it into Google Translate and read a completely different paper if you did.” She laughed. “Has your uncle come downstairs since you two got home?”

She shook her head. “No, he's been in his office, and he spent about twenty minutes cursing the fact he didn't apply for a TA in time for this semester, so he has to grade all his quizzes and tests himself.” She rubbed her nose, hoping her uncle wouldn't take it into his head to have her or her aunt grade the quizzes. “I'm going to need to get a...” she thought for the right word, “the teacher called it a theme board.” 

“She probably means a poster-board.” Aunt Amelia washed her hands. “When's your project due?”

“End of February.” She put her things into her messenger bag. “Four pages, double spaced in Arial twelve point, a poster and I have to give a speech.” She paused. “I could do some of it in Dutch.” She sighed. “I'm sorry.” 

Her aunt frowned. “What do you have to be sorry for? Did you knock-over a Seven-Eleven on your way home from school today?”

She gave her aunt a look. “I don't think it's possible...” she stopped, then giggled, recognizing the slang term. “Aunt Amelia, I don't think anyone would take me seriously if I tried to rob _any_ store.” She tugged at the end of her braid, worrying her bottom lip. “I'm sorry for my grouchy behavior.” 

“You're allowed.” The woman came over and hugged her. “Besides getting assigned the report, anything else interesting happen at school today?”

“Other than Bobby Reinheart laughing so hard milk came out of his nose at lunch, no.” she grimaced, shaking her head. “I don't even know what the joke was, but it was gross. But aren't most boys gross?”

“Unfortunately.” She took a breath. “I had someone once again not know the difference between a neighborhood and a school district.” She hugged her again. “You want to help me with dinner?”

Diana took a deep breath. Staying down here would be better than being alone in her room. “Yes, Aunt Amelia.” She picked her bag up. “Let me get this on my hook and wash my hands.” She went into the mudroom. “Why don't people know a school district is larger than a neighborhood? It doesn't seem like it would be a hard thing to understand.” She moved her coat so she could put the bag up.

“I don't know, Di.” The fridge opened. “I think people have trouble realizing there are two of them in Oak Park, neither of which has Chicago in the name.” 

“Chicago's a half-hour drive away.” She came back into the kitchen. “And only if the traffic is light, Uncle Kurt says his commute lasts as long as an hour at least twice a week.” She took a sponge from the sink and went to wipe the table off. “Do you ever find homes for people in Chicago?”

“Occasionally. In fact, I'm supposed to show some apartments to a couple moving to the city from LA on Thursday.” She set a pot on the stove and emptied a bag of ground beef into it. “I do hope they remember to wear coats when they come here.”

Diana snickered. “Who'd come to Chicago forget a coat?” 

Her aunt smiled. “You'd be surprised. Although there are people who actually pack parkas when they come here in August, thinking it's cold, instead of roasting.” She got out a spoon and started to work on meat. “I had a friend who used to live in Anchorage and said the same thing would happen there. But Alaska at least makes a little more sense.” 

She came back over to the sink and looked at the vegetables lined up by the cutting board. “Mexican?”

“Uh huh. It doesn't have to be Tuesday to have tacos.” Aunt Amelia let out a breath. “You want to chop those up?”

She nodded and pulled a knife from the block. “I'll be careful, don't worry.” 

“I know you will.” There was a clink behind her, the lid being put over the pot. “We'll go to Target this weekend and get the things you need for your report. Maybe go out for lunch, if you'd like to.” 

“Lunch might be fun.” Diana answered, setting the onion on the cutting board and slicing it in half. “You think we might be able to have lunch with Ben sometime soon? I know it's only been a few weeks...” She set the onion down on the flat side, worrying her bottom lip again. 

“I'll email him this evening, see how he's doing.” Her aunt opened the fridge and took out a package of shredded cheese, along with the margarine. “We'll at least get the idea back on the table, so to speak.” 

She smiled. “Thank you.” She returned to chopping the onion, while her aunt filled another pot with water.

*

Ben let himself into the apartment, covering a yawn. It was only quarter past seven, but it felt much later. After he hung up his coat and took off his boots, he frowned, realizing Arya was not there watching him, nor was Ahsoka anywhere to be seen. The only light on was the one he'd turned on, the whole of the apartment seemed off, even the smell of their dinner in the crock-pot in the kitchen seemed muted and somehow wrong. “Rey?” He called out, walking towards the kitchen. “You all right?” He turned on the lights and leaned into the room, on the off chance she'd had a panic attack and was curled up on the floor of the laundry room. 

It was empty.

He went back into the main room and saw her boots and coat were there, along with her keys. “Maybe she's asleep.” He walked over to the door of his room, and saw it was empty, as was the bathroom. “Rey?” A cold feeling settled in the pit of his stomach, and he knocked on her door before nudging it open with his foot. “Are you in here?” 

Arya chirped from the direction of the bed and opened the door wider to let the light from the hallway spill inside, and the other cat brushed past his leg, heading towards the kitchen. “At least you weren't on top of the door for a change.” He muttered and went over to the bed, where he could see a lump which could only be Rey under the comforter. He sat down, tentatively reaching out and brushing the hair from her face. “Sunshine?”

Rey let out a long, low groan and looked up at him, blinking. Her face was red and puffy; she'd been crying. “Hi.”

“Hey.” He managed a smile as Arya jumped from her side into his lap. “You feeling okay?”

She grimaced and ducked her head. “Scared.” She got out before pulling the covers back over her head. 

He looked down at the cat, and started to rub behind her ears, his own method of keeping calm while Arya kneaded his leg. He swallowed and then found his voice. “What are you scared of Rey? Someone say something to you? Did something happen?”

There was movement under the covers and he heard her breathe in sharply. “Kind of.” 

“Kind of.” He took a breath, collecting himself internally. Since he wasn't certain what exactly could be wrong, he decided to start eliminating possibilities.“Are Poe and Finn okay? Did something happen to them? Or to Poe's family?”

“No.” She pushed the covers down to her shoulders, and she sat up on her arms. “Finn and Poe are fine. Everyone in Texas is fine.” She looked over at him, the light from the hallway casting an odd glow on her face and he reached over to brush his fingers against her cheek. 

Ben's mind went to the next most likely source. “Are you sick?” He managed a smile, doing his best to keep his panic down. “Something else health related?” He wasn't going actually say the other thing he thought it might be, because she certainly couldn't be pregnant – or was there a chance?

“No, no, nothing like that.” Rey coughed and pushed herself up to a sit. “I had to resubmit paperwork for my scholarship, so it can be renewed in September.” She hugged a throw pillow to her. “Since my financial situation sort of changed with the death of my grandfather...” She swallowed. “It wasn't approved. I found out this afternoon.” 

He put his arm around her, holding her against him. “that sucks.” He kissed her forehead. “I'm sorry.” 

She let out a watery chuckle. “I made a plan. Things budgeted out to last until my other trust fund can be used, and...”

He coughed, “Rey, are you aware of exactly how much money you were left? Not in terms of monetary amount, because I know you are, but how far it can go?”

“I know what things cost, Ben.” She pulled away, her face screwing up in annoyance. “I'm not stupid.” 

He inhaled for a moment before continuing, keeping his hand on Arya. “I know what four years at De Paul costs. I know what six years at the school costs.” He shook his head. “You could be paying full tuition, room and board for De Paul for all four years with what your grandfather gave you, and still have nearly three fourths of it left.” 

“I can't think that way, Ben, I have...” She shook her head. “I had _plans_.” 

“We all have plans Rey. We make plans and shit happens.” He tapped her nose, trying to smile. “I was having a perfectly splendid summer last year when that car hit me.”

“That is a _horrible_ comparison, you could have been killed!” Her jaw dropped. “I mean, my finding out my scholarship was revoked is a relatively minor annoyance in the grand scheme...” she shook her head. “I've always been worried about money, since I'm so used to having to keep track of every penny and where to put it. It's hard for me to stop thinking that way.” 

He smoothed down her hair, nodding, remembering the day in November when they'd formally met, and she'd been freaking out on trying to find a place to live she could afford. “Just remember, if I'm not allowed to sit naked in Life Drawing again, you're never allowed to.” 

Rey opened her mouth, but whatever she planned to say was lost when she started to giggle. “I don't want my classmates to see me naked.” She gave him a sardonic look. “I'm... you must think I'm overreacting.” 

“I can understand your panic.” He gave her a hug, relieved. While the problem was annoying, it wasn't as shattering as he first feared it was. “You didn't go psycho and punch someone in the financial office, did you?”

“No.” She sniffled and reached for a tissue from her nightstand. “Sorry for freaking out like I did.” 

“It's okay.” He squeezed her knee. “I'll go dish up dinner. Food always helps.” 

She nodded and blew her nose. “Thanks, Bear.” 

He pressed a kiss against her temple as he stood. “You're welcome, Sunshine.” 

*

To: benorganasolo@gmail.com  
From: amanslan1981@hotmail.com

Benjamin,

I hope you are doing well in your new academic semester at De Paul. I would like to apologize, again, for the actions of my husband. I feel I may be issuing an apology many times, because I know that a simple 'I'm sorry' fixes nothing. 

Diana is adjusting to life here in the States as well as can be expected. 

I know you must have many things going on at this time, with school and work. I was writing to see if it would be possible to try and schedule lunch for you and Diana sometime in the near future. I will understand if you chose not to make contact with my niece at this time, and I have not told her I am sending this email. Do not feel **any** pressure or obligation to say yes. I would greatly appreciate a reply either way. 

Have a good rest of the week!

Sincerely yours,

Amelia Anslan


	26. January's End

Rey turned over in bed, frowning when her arm fell into the empty spot where Ben normally was. She opened her eyes, seeing him sitting up, facing the door of the room, his back to her. It'd been shortly after ten with they both climbed into bed, and, exhausted from the week, she'd fallen asleep right away, and assumed he'd done the same. She glanced over at the alarm clock, it was half past two in the morning.“Can't sleep?”

“No.” He turned and looked back at her, smiling wanly. “Even though I always rest better when you're in here with me.” He ran a hand through his hair and then laid down, holding his arms out towards her in invitation. “Snuggles?”

“I'm always up for one of those.” She shifted so she was lying half on him, and rested her head against his collarbone, smiling as his arms came around her waist. “Between you working and my classes, we haven't really had time for one.” She hugged him, “maybe we should set aside time every week for this.” 

“Tempting, but impromptu snuggles are always better than planned ones.” He ran his hand down her back, “especially considering the time we planned a snuggle session back in December and neglected a few things.” 

She shuddered, remembering their wake-up call on their first day back from South Dakota. Hard to believe it had been only a month ago; three weeks into this semester already felt like an entire year all on its own. “You nervous about your meeting?”

Ben let out a breath. “A little, who wouldn't be?” His hand slid down to her rear for a moment, then slowly moved up, going under her shirt to rest on the small of her back. “Okay?”

“Okay.” She didn't want to press the issue of him going to Oak Park tomorrow to have lunch with Diana. When he'd asked her if she wanted to come along, she'd declined; it was strange enough already. She worried slightly about him getting to the suburbs and back in Gwen's behemoth of an SUV. Ben was going to check in with her both when he got there and before he left. She was going to spend her day getting ahead on a few projects – and do laundry. 

“Hey.” He kissed the top of her head. “It's only lunch with Diana and Mrs. Anslan.” He sighed. “I'll be fine, there's food involved. Pizza might be involved. Pizza makes even complicated situations tolerable. It's why schools throw them for classes as rewards.” He snorted. “At least when I was in grade school. Who knows what they do these days.” 

“You'll be fine until your sister learns you like pineapple on your...” She let out a squeal as Ben reversed their positions and started to tickle her. “Stop that!” 

“What?” He remained perfectly calm as he moved to the backs of her knees. 

“You know what!” She laughed, pushing his shoulders. “You're weird!”

He relented and leaned over her, resting his forehead against hers. “You like that I'm weird. It's the fact I'm so comfortable with my own weirdness it gets under your skin.” 

“Goofball.” She brushed her lips against his. “What's your secret?”

“Years of intensive therapy.” He kissed her chin and moved off of her, chuckling. “An amazing group of friends, and writing.” he pulled her close, sliding his hand back under her shirt to rest on her back. “I'm sorry if I woke you up.”

“No.” She rubbed her cheek against his bare chest. “It's freezing and you're still shirtless.”

“Says the girl who isn't wearing any pants.” He chucked, his thumb brushing the elastic of her panties. “You're not cold, are you?”

She shook her head. “I'm good, and my sweatpants are on the floor by my side of the bed. I can grab them when I get up.” She felt his hand move up her back and she pushed herself up to look down at him, smiling coyly. “Are you planning something?”

He smiled up at her, his hand slipping down to her hip. “Maybe. Although it's late, we should sleep.” 

“Liar.” she reached down and grabbed the hem of her shirt, pulling it up and off of her, tossing it down to where she had left her sweatpants. “Now I don't have to worry about finding both my top and bottom when I get up in the morning.” 

Ben smirked up at her, his hand moving off her hip and between her legs, rubbing her through the fabric of her panties. “Don't need to fret about these then, do you?”

She hissed as she pressed her palms into the mattress, “No.” she breathed. “They'll be dirty.” 

“Dirty, huh?” He slid down slightly, putting his free hand on her hip, holding her steady. “I plan on them being filthy.” 

“And how...” she gasped when she felt his tongue brush against her nipple. “Oh...” she whimpered as he did it again, “I think... I think I should take those off.” 

“So soon?” he licked her nipple again. “We've only started, Sunshine.” the thumb of his hand on her hip hooked under the waistband of the garment. “Now's not a time for rushing.” 

Rey let out a breathy laugh. “You're a terrible tease.” She hissed his thumb found her clit.

“Don't pretend like you don't love every second of it.” He murmured before wrapping his lips around her nipple and began to suckle it slowly.

She let out a tiny groan and pressed her hands more firmly into the bed. “You...” She clamped down on her bottom lip to keep herself quiet. 

Ben let go of her nipple with a wet pop. “Don't bite your lip to hold your cries, Sunshine.” He licked the other one, and she looked down to see him smiling up at her. “I love the little noises you make when we do this.” He ran his nose along her sternum. 

She chuckled faintly, ending in a whine as he licked her nipple. “I think I sound loud.” 

“You're not.” He hooked his thumbs under the waistband of her panties and drew them off her hips and down her thighs. “Trust me.” 

She moved her legs so he could remove the garment completely, and reached down to tug his pajama pants off of his hips. “I don't either of us really know, we're not paying attention to our noise level.”

“You may have a point.” He shifted under her, kicking his clothes off and moved up again, grabbing the covers and pulling them over their heads. “This should do the trick.”

“What?” she set her hands on either side of his head, “we're going to get overheated.” she stilled as she felt his hands on her hips, his cock brushing against her thigh. It wasn't quite pitch dark under the covers, and she swallowed. “And we can barely see each other under here.” 

“Goodness, you're awfully fussy for two thirty in the morning.” He nuzzled her neck. “I'll do my best to fix both problems right away then.” His arms came under hers, and in one swift movement, sat up, thrusting his cock deep inside her quim as he pulled her into his lap. “There.” 

She wrapped her legs around his waist, whimpering at the intrusion, willing herself to relax as he traced her back in lazy circles. “F... fuck.” 

His tongue traced the shell of her ear, “we'll get to that soon enough Sunshine.” One hand came down to rest on her rear. “Promise.”

Rey shivered, moving her knees to rest on the bed, letting him slide deeper into her. “I know you will.” She rasped, pressing her face against his neck. “You're excellent at keeping your promises.”

*

“Diana!” Aunt Amelia's voice called up the stairs. “Telephone!” 

“Thank you!” She replied, taking the receiver from the hall and hitting the talk button. “Hello?” 

“Hey, kiddo.” Dad's voice sounded almost forced into being cheery. “How's life in Oak Park?” 

“I like Rotterdam better.” She answered, as she heard her aunt hang up her end of the line. She returned to her room, sitting down on her bed. “I thought you were due to leave for your next tour today.” 

“In a few hours, actually. Thought I'd give you a ring before I left.” He sighed, and she rolled her eyes. Was this how he talked with her brother? “How's school going?”

“Okay, I guess.” She worried her bottom lip. “Aunt Amelia and I are going to Target in a little while. I have to do a report on Holland for my social studies class.” 

“Well, odds are, no one's better equipped to give a report on that country than you.” He cleared his throat. “Your mom stopped taking my calls.” 

“You say that like you're bloody surprised.” the words simply fell out of her mouth. She knew her mom had stopped taking his calls. Mom barely took _her_ calls anymore. What did surprise her was her aunt letting him talk to her without having her in the same room or on another line. “What did you think was going to happen?”

“Diana, what's wrong with you?” His tone was unfamiliar; almost ugly. “Talk to me.”

She lifted her chin. “What's wrong with me?” She laughed. “You're asking what's wrong with _me_ like you don't know _anything_ about the past month.” She steeled herself. “Things have changed, Dad. For all of us. You, me, mom, Ben, and Ben's mom.” She tightened her hold on the phone. “It's not fair, and I know life's not fair, but at the same time...” She shook her head. “Dad, what do you want from me?”

“Look, kid...” He sighed. “I haven't been the best of dads, I'll admit it, but at the same time...” 

She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. “You stay safe out there on the seas, Dad. Call me again when you go through the Panama Canal. Be sure you call Ben. He deserves to hear from you too.” She hung up the phone and tossed the receiver on the bed, glowering at it. “Don't ring.” She folded her arms as she heard a knock on the threshold behind her.

“You all right, Di?” Aunt Amelia's voice was quiet, and she turned to look at the woman. “I'm sorry, if I had known...”

She shrugged, not entirely upset. “I'm more annoyed.” She wrinkled her nose. “And here I thought watching all those stupid shows on Disney were a waste of time.” 

“Many a people have come to this country and have learned English from watching _Sesame Street_.” She smiled. “You almost ready to go?”

“I just need to put on my shoes and coat.” She picked up the phone and went to hug her aunt. “Why'd Uncle Kurt go into campus? It's Saturday.” 

“Paperwork.” She shook her head. “There may or may not be a basketball game involved.” The two of them went downstairs. “Do you like basketball?”

“I don't know much about it. I can't keep half of the sports rules straight anymore.” She sighed. “I only know about football – uh, soccer, right?”

“You can go on and call it football, I know what you mean.” The went into the kitchen and her aunt started to double check her list while she went into the mudroom and grabbed her shoes. “They should have sign-ups soon. If you would like to play for your school, or in the local league.” 

Diana sat down on the bench, tying her shoes. She hadn't really thought about playing a sport when she came here. She had played back in Holland. “Maybe.” She finished with her shoes and pulled on her coat. “I'll think about it.” 

“Sure, honey.” Aunt Amelia came into the mudroom and wrapped her scarf around her neck. “Now, we should be able to get everything you're going to need at the Target.” She paused. “You want to look at anything else while we're over there? Clothes, or anything?”

“I'm good.” She took her gloves out of her coat pockets. “Unless they sell warm weather. I'm getting a little tired of winter.” 

“You and me both.” They went out into the garage. “I don't think we'll get any more heavy snows. By heavy snows I mean storms dropping several feet of snow, instead of seven inches.” 

“I've been wondering if there's grass in the yard or not lately.” she hit the button to open the door. “Kind of hard to think about playing football when you can't see the ground.” 

Her aunt laughed as they got into the car. “There's grass down there, don't worry. We'll see it sometime around the end of March. Maybe sooner, if we have a warm spell in February.” 

Diana buckled herself in, adjusting her coat under the restraining strap. “I thought thirty-five was warm in the winter.” 

“It can be.” she started up the car. “I don't know how to explain this, but this winter is actually mild, in comparison to some.” 

She gaped at her aunt. “If this is mild, I'd hate to see harsh.” She sighed and fell back, folding her arms. “Who am I kidding, I probably _will_ see harsh winters.” 

“Not if you go to college in Texas.” Aunt Amelia quipped as they pulled out of the drive. “I went down there in May one year, to Austin, and they told me they were having a cold snap. It was seventy degrees and they called it cold.” 

Of all the things to adjust to here in the States, the temperature scale had actually been the easiest. She gave her aunt a wry smile as they headed down the road. “Seventy sounds wonderful right now – let me guess, not till May?”

“We might get lucky have some pretty days in April.” she replied. “Nervous about seeing Ben?”

“Sort of.” She let out a breath. “I think it was too soon to have tried to gotten together back in December. It wouldn't have been good for anybody.” She rubbed her nose. “It's not wrong I'm still mad at our dad, is it?”

Aunt Amelia shook her head as the came to the exit of the subdivision. “No, honey. Your anger is completely understandable.” She smiled. “What made you choose Maz's Diner for lunch?”

“I asked some kids in my class where the best to eat was. Cassie Andrews says they have burgers the size of a softball. I didn't know how big one was, so I looked it up on Google.” She grinned. “It's okay, isn't it?”

“It's great. Only trouble I have with Maz's is I always have to get my dessert to-go, given the portions.” She answered. “The greatest and best carrot cake in the entire Chicago area is at Maz's. I'll fight every chef on Food Network if they say otherwise.” 

Diana covered a snicker. “Aunt Amelia, you're funny.” 

“I try.” She grinned. “I try.” 

*

Ben had lived in the Chicago area for almost six full years, and the only time he'd been to Oak Park was a few years ago, when Gwen and Leslie had hauled him along for Thanksgiving Dinner. Even though it was a suburb, it reminded him of Buffalo. Subdivisions and strip-malls, they all seemed to be the same, with changes in the names attached to businesses. There was always at least one nail salon, an insurance broker, a work-out place of some kind, a place to buy cell-phone service, and, in recent years, a Starbucks or Chipolte in nearly every single one. Sometimes it had both.

It'd been a complete relief to pull on jeans instead of slacks this morning, but he still put on a sweater instead of a t-shirt. His week at work had been relatively calm, as opposed to his former job at Michael's, if only not having to explain why it took two weeks for a custom frame to be completed. 

He ran a hand through his hair as he made sure he'd turned everything off in Gwen's car. “You can do this.” He slid his phone into the inner pocket of his coat and got out, locking the car and stuffing the keys into another pocket, leaning into the wind, heading for Maz's Diner. He'd never been, but according to the Phasmas, the place had burgers the size of hubcaps and everything was delicious. “If there's food, there's not as much pressure to talk.” 

Salt crunched under his boots as he crossed the pavement and up to the door, and, when he swung it open, was greeted with warmth and the glorious smell of frying onions. There were two signs flanking the entryway – _Please Wait to be Seated_ and _Wipe your feet!_ “Sounds like my gran.” He ran his boots over the rug, stepping aside to unwind his scarf, and there was a blast of cold as the door opened behind him, and he managed a smile. “Diana, Mrs. Anslan.” 

The woman managed a smile. “I thought we were going to be early,” she checked her watch. “Was traffic bad coming from the city?”

Ben shook his head. “No, no real traffic until I got off the highway.” He turned to his sister. “And how are you doing?”

“Target Stores are...weird.” She shook her head, looking up at her aunt. “And you know it.” 

“I do. If it wasn't for the electronics and toys from the most recent movies, I'd think they were all stuck in a circle of the eighties at times.” Mrs. Anslan shook her head. “And please, Ben, call me Amelia.” 

“Three for lunch?” A voice spoke up and they all turned to the hostess-stand where a woman, close to Ben's age was waiting, a stack of menus tucked under one arm. 

“Yes, thank you.” Amelia stated, tugging off her gloves.

“Right this way.” The young woman led them across the dining room to a booth, and Diana and her aunt sat on one side, and Ben on the other. “Your server will be with you shortly.” She set the menus down and then went back across the room.

“Did that hurt?” Diana blurted out, pointed to her cheek and then her eyes widened. “I'm sorry, I...” 

Ben chuckled, shaking his head. “It's fine, Diana.” He picked up his menu. “I was in shock when the accident happened, so I didn't feel any pain. It hurt the next morning.” He winced, the memory of waking up in the ICU suddenly fresh. “My face didn't hurt nearly as much as my ribs did.” 

Amelia shuddered. “Broken ribs are terrible.” She shook her head. “I fell off a piece of scenery in high school and broke three of them.” 

Diana looked from him to her aunt before picking up her menu, her eyes wide. “Buffaloes don't have wings.” 

He snorted in reply and glanced down at his own, “They're chicken wings, they're named after the city of Buffalo.” he looked over at her. “And for the record, actual buffalo meat is amazing.” 

“Good afternoon, I'm Hattie and I'll be taking care of you this afternoon.” The server set down three glasses of water. “May I bring you something else to drink?”

“Could I please get a cup of coffee?” Amelia stated. 

“Sure.” She scribbled on her pad. “Anyone else?”

“I'm fine with water.” Ben replied.

“Me too.” Diana added.

“Sure. Today's soups are cream of tomato and beef noodle. I'll give you guys a few more minutes to look the menu over. Let me know if you have any questions.” She nodded once before walking away.

“I've not tried buffalo meat.” Diana wrinkled her nose. “And I don't get why so many of my classmates think ranch dressing is a... I believe the expression – a _thing_?” 

“Thing works. And don't feel bad. My uncle's lived in the Midwest for almost forty years, and all he knows is ranch showed up sometime shortly before the reunification of Germany, and it _won't_ go away.” He answered and he saw Amelia smirk. “You're just as confused. The only time growing up I saw it was on a plate with hot wings.”

“I'll not argue with you there.” She answered, scanning the menu. “I don't know why mac and cheese is considered a vegetable in the South.” 

His sister made a face, looking from him to her aunt. “Maybe I should read some cookbooks.” 

“Largest non-fiction section in any given public library.” He quipped, “and usually one of the smallest in an academic, if it even has one. Depends on the school's culinary program.” He gave her a half smile over the menu, before turning his attention to reading. He hadn't entirely wanted to come to lunch today, but given what an utter disappointment he knew Han Solo could be, he didn't want to begin a trend of letting his little sister down. He had given himself time to prepare mentally, and would have all of Sunday to recover.

Hattie returned to the table, setting down a coffee mug. “You ready to order, or do you need a little more time?”

“I'm ready.” Amelia answered, “Diana, Ben?” 

Diana nodded as Ben said “Yes.” 

Once they had placed their order – Ben tried not to think too much about the fact he and his sister ordered the exact same toppings for their cheeseburgers – fried onions, bacon, and Pepper-Jack cheese, Diana took a drink from her glass before clearing her throat. “Did Dad call you this morning?” 

Ben took a breath. “He did. I didn't tell him we were having lunch today.” He picked up his own glass of water, taking a long sip from it. “He asked me if I knew what was wrong with you.” He snorted. “I told him that was a stupid question, no matter how you look at it.” He put down the glass. “I'm sorry, Diana.” 

“It's not your fault.” she sat back, her expression falling. “I don't know why he has to be this way.” She looked over at him. “Was he like this with you?” 

He pinched the bridge of his nose, closing his eyes. “I learned not to expect him to show up when I was younger than you. I stopped looking for him to arrive at all when I was a little older than you are now.” He folded his arms, setting them on the table, giving her a wan smile. “Dad likes to compartmentalize his life. I know this because he does, and I also have a tendency to do it. However, I keep track of mine better. You and I used to be in separate parts of his life, and now we're in the same one, and he has no idea how to handle it.” 

Amelia took a drink from her mug. “I think working seems to be his way of avoiding it.” 

“You noticed.” Ben repressed the urge to laugh; he wanted to get off this subject, because there was nothing good to discuss where Han Solo was concerned. “Tired of winter yet, Di?” 

His sister's smile slowly widened. “I miss having outdoor recess. The school won't let us because of the cold.” 

He picked up his water glass. “Outdoor recess was always better.” he managed a smile. “Have anyone in your class confuse Holland for Denmark yet?”

Diana rolled her eyes. “No, thankfully.” She paused. “Why do you know how to speak Dutch? Did you learn it in school?” 

He chuckled. “It was a really harsh winter when I was in sixth grade and my friends and I were bored.” He shook his head. “Most schools don't offer a second language until high school. They're too busy making sure we all know the the mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell, rather than something _useful_ , like a second language or basic cooking skills.” 

Amelia covered her mouth with her napkin to keep coffee from spraying across the table.

“I can make scrambled eggs.” His sister brightened. “And chop vegetables, my mom's a chef. She wanted me to know how to cook too. Well, she was before...” 

He pulled the package of tissues from his pocket and offered them to her while her aunt wiped her face. “Sorry.” 

“Don't be sorry.” Diana took a tissue. “It's not your fault.” She took a breath. “Could you explain Cubs Nation to me? I had no idea how massive this baseball thing is in America.”

*

Rey shut the door of the washing machine and hit the start button. She'd stripped the sheets off of Ben's bed shortly after he left earlier; she hadn't stated she was going to change them, but since she couldn't remember the last time she'd seen him do it, figured it couldn't hurt to add them to the laundry. With the bed already remade, throw pillows included, she went into her studio, opening the blinds before sitting down in the middle of the futon, her feet tucked under her knees. 

It was one of those deceptively warm looking winter days.

The sky was a bright shade of blue, with only a few wisps of clouds streaking through it. More suited for a day in mid-June, not the end of January. After a seemingly endless progression of gray days, the blue was welcome, but at the same time, she was reminded winter was far from over. “I'm starting to see why people go to Texas for spring break.” She pulled her phone out of her back pocket as it buzzed. “Maybe I can too.” She glanced at the screen, smiling before answering. “Good afternoon, Mrs. Dameron.”

“Afternoon, Rey.” the woman's voice was cheery. “I got your text, sorry it's taken me so long to get back to you.” 

“It's fine.” She chuckled. “I only sent it yesterday afternoon, and it was Friday. I remember what Fridays are like at your work place.” She stretched out her legs as Ahsoka wandered into the room, jumping on the futon and lying down beside her. 

“And how.” She cleared her throat. “It shouldn't be a problem for you to come down and stay with us for spring break. I think the problem will be keeping it from Poe and Finn.” There was a rustling noise. “How's the weather up there?”

“Sunny and unspeakably cold.” She replied, rubbing the back of Ahsoka's head as the cat started to purr. “If it wasn't for plows, a giant lake, and a few paths through the area, I'd be struggling to remember there is actually a ground here in Chicago.” 

The woman laughed in response. “Well, maybe you'll go back after spring break to find it almost completely melted.” She coughed. “Excuse me. You're staying safe and warm up there, aren't you?”

“Yes, Mrs. Dameron. It's the wind, more than anything.” 

“I've seen weather reports, I can imagine.” There was a rustling noise. “I'm sorry, working on dinner.”

“It's fine.” She rubbed Ahsoka under the chin. “The real reason I want to come back to Texas in March is because I won't be coming back for the summer.” 

She was quiet for a moment. “I figured it was something along those lines. From the pictures the boys have shown me, you're doing rather nicely up there. How's Arya doing?”

“Arya's fine, and now there's a second cat. Ahsoka. For some reason, she tends to hang around me more than Ben.” She grinned down at the animal. “I may not be staying in Chicago either, I'm hoping to get a job as a mechanic for a storm chasing project through school. Getting paid and getting some college credit at the same time is always good.”

“You'd be excellent at that.” There was a thump. “Do you know where my rolling pin is? The big wooden one?”

Rey thought for a moment. “Unless you moved it, it's in the drawer under the ovens. Along with all the cookie cutters and whatnot.” She frowned. “Are you making meat pies?”

“Guilty.” She answered. “Only a half dozen. Since Poe's not home, six is all we need. I'll make sure to make them for dinner at least once while you're in town.” 

She grinned. “You won't let Mr. Dameron spill the beans, will you?”

“No. He'll be bound to secrecy. Besides, it's going to be peak tax season. I'll have a hard enough time getting him to remember to eat. Keeping your visit under wraps won't be difficult.” 

“I'll get the dates to you as soon as I can, I know it seems like March isn't even close, but it'll be here by next week, the way time goes these days.” she fell back on the futon and Ahsoka promptly climbed onto her stomach. “I won't be bringing either of the cats. They're staying here in Chicago, with Ben.” 

“I can't imagine cats like airplanes all that much. You are going to fly down, yes?” There was a rustling noise.

“Yes.” she closed her eyes. “I never want to make the trip back to Houston by bus again, if I can possibly help it.” She set a hand on the cat, petting it slowly. 

“I don't blame you there.” She heard another thump. “You were right, rolling pin was where you said it was.” 

Rey smiled. “Happy to help.” She heard Arya's bell jangling, and a moment later, the front door opened. “I'll let you get back to your work. I know how you are about baking.” 

“You take care Rey. Email me the details when you have them.” 

“I will, and thanks.” She heard Ben moving around in the other room. “Bye.”

“Good bye, sweetie.” Mrs. Dameron ended the call and Rey let the hand holding the phone fall back on the futon.

“How was lunch?” She called, not really wanting to get up.

“Lunch was... it was okay.” Ben's voice was right above her. “Comfortable?”

She opened her eyes to look up at him. “Not really.” She reached for his arm. “Want to join me?”

He grinned tiredly and stretched out beside her, resting his chin on her her head. “I brought you back a slice of cake. I put in the fridge so the cats wouldn't get into it.” 

She smiled and let out a groan as Ahsoka hopped off her and ran off elsewhere in the apartment. “Thank you.” She turned so she could face him, draping an arm over his waist. “Too much socialization for one.... weekend?” She offered.

Ben chuckled, rubbing her back in slow circles. “Yeah. You didn't have to change the sheets Rey. I would have done it when I got back.” 

“Well, since we both get them dirty, I figured it was my turn.” She closed her eyes, yawning. “Nap?”

“Nap sounds good.” He shifted and a moment later, she felt the blanket she kept folded on the other end of the futon settle over them. “Oak Park reminds me of the part of Buffalo I grew up in. Only with fewer Starbucks and more consignment shops.”

She rubbed her cheek against him. “I have noticed there aren't as many of those around Chicago. Must be all the Dunkin Donuts.” She felt his fingers still on her back, knowing he was almost asleep. “Love you Bear.” 

“Love you too, Sunshine.” Ben murmured against her hair as he drifted off, and a few minutes later, so did she.


	27. Prelude to March Madness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What looks to be the last major snowstorm of the season is about to slam into Chicago. Rey and Ben have been too busy to spend much time together, so the quiet weekend at the apartment is just what the two of them need.

The winter sky above Chicago was the color of lead. Ben walked quickly up the street, along with what had to be half the residents of his block, all of whom had only one thought on their mind; get home – _fast_. He and Rey had been busy with school and work for the past month, it was a miracle they remembered to do things like go to the grocery store. He bent into the wind and he glanced at the sign outside the bank – flashing the time, and then the temperature – eleven degrees. He didn't want to think what the wind chill could be. It was rarely so bitter this late in winter. Normally, it hovered in the thirties, dipping into the twenties after dark.

He and nine other people headed into his building, with him in the rear, and he stopped as a school bus pulled up near the curb and the two girls who lived on one of the lower floors fairly raced out and passed him on the walk, and he glanced back towards the L, hoping to catch a glimpse of Rey by her distinctive pink coat. Hopefully, she was already upstairs and waiting for him. Inside the building, he and several others checked their mailboxes; he tucked the envelopes from his into the front pocket of his case as he went over to the elevators. 

Gwen swept into the lobby, looking fairly shell-shocked. “Why didn't I stay in Arizona?” 

Ben gave her a look. “Because tomorrow is Leslie's birthday and you would never hear the end of it if you weren't here.” He pulled down his scarf. “Why didn't you bring back the warm weather?”

“It wouldn't fit in my carry-on.” She chuckled as both sets of elevator doors opened. “Floors two through ten in one and eleven and up in the other?” 

The group nodded in agreement and divided themselves, Ben holding the door of theirs and stepping in last. There were five of them in the car, and he adjusted his bag as they went upwards, the slight pain in his shoulder had started this afternoon and was now almost throbbing. He'd take having to cradle a phone on his shoulder than wearing a headset. More for the fact he didn't think they made ones in his size than anything else. 

“Anyone know how much snow we're supposed to get?” The man Ben recognized from the fifteenth floor asked, looking about as tired as he felt. 

“Eighteen inches was the low end.” Gwen shook her head. “O'Hare was already out in full force when my plane landed.” 

Ben grimaced as the car stopped and the man got out. “Maybe this will be the last big snow of the winter. I can handle a few inches here and there between now and the end of April.” 

“No one ever moves to Chicago for the weather, unless they're a meteorologist.” the man said as the car came to a stop and he stepped out onto his floor. 

“Well, he has a point.” Gwen remarked. “Reminds me, is eighteen-A still empty?”

Ben nodded. “Plenty of lookers, from what Jasmine tells me, but no takers.” He rubbed the back of his neck as the car slowed again. “Let me know if you need any potty-pads for Alder, I still have a few from when I took Arya to South Dakota.” 

“Thanks.” She answered as the doors opened and she looked over at the man who also lived on her floor. “He's not been barking too much, has he?” 

“You have the best behaved dog in the building.” He chuckled. “See you kid.” He said to Ben as he stepped out. 

“It's true. And the best looking one as well.” Ben answered as the doors closed and he fished his keys out, making sure not to open door too wide, in case Ahsoka felt like racing out of it as he stepped inside. “Rey?” He called as he shut the door and smiled as he looked down to see both cats sitting there, looking far too innocent for his liking. “Hello, Little Miss.” he rubbed Arya behind the ears. “And you, Miss Fluff.” He gave the same treatment to Ahsoka. “First one home, huh?” He took off his coat and set his bag on the couch as the cats started to chase each other.

After flipping the locks back into place, he took his lunchbox and travel mug from his bag and headed for the kitchen. The heavy scent of the soup he'd put in the crock-pot greeted him before he reached the room, and, after washing his hands, took out a spoon to check the contents. Chicken-tortilla was always welcome, and with the weather going the way it was, more than welcome. He stirred the contents as he heard the door open, followed by a loud thump. “Welcome home.” 

“Hi.” Rey answered, and there was a rustling noise as she shut the door and took off her coat. There was another tumbling sound, followed by an indignant chirp. “We've told you two repeatedly to play nicely!” She laughed and he looked up as she came into the doorway, holding Ahsoka. “We decided to load all seven of the kilns before we left for the weekend, or I'd have been home sooner.” 

Ben indicated his cheek. “I think you might need to wash your face.” 

“What?” She rubbed the area in question and then let out an exasperated sound. “No wonder people were giving me weird looks across campus.” She rubbed Ahsoka under the chin. “At least it's dust and not paint.” She walked out and he heard her turn the water on in the bathroom. “It started snowing as soon as I got off the L.” 

“Fast or slow?” He stirred the soup a few more times before setting the lid back in place, lowering the temperature to lo and followed her out into the apartment.

“Slow, but lots of it.” She came back out, rubbing her face with a makeup cloth. “Dinner ready?”

“Pretty much.” He went and sat on the couch, groaning. “Though I want to unwind before I eat.” He ran a hand through his hair as she came over and joined him, snuggling up against his side almost instantly. “Oh, hello there.” 

She grinned as he hugged her, kissing the top of her head. “It's snuggle time.”

“I'm always ready for snuggles.” He chuckled and wrapped his arms around her. “How were classes?”

“I think the professors were more worried about getting out of the city than actually teaching us.” She sighed. “My last two were canceled, which is why I went to the ceramics shoppe. I knew my coil pot would be ready to be fired, along with the two wheel projects I made on Tuesday.” She rubbed her cheek against him. “You're already warm. How was your day?”

“Uneventful. I was among the last people to leave the office.” He closed his eyes, pressing his face into her hair. “I am still in shock about Mr. Snoek actually driving himself too and from work. Then again, given how particular he is about what he orders for lunch, he'd probably cause a chauffeur to seek therapy. He fairly exudes 'back-seat driver' vibes.” He groaned. “I probably shouldn't say bad things about my boss.” 

“You're not doing it online.” She chuckled. “Besides, from what I can gather, compared to the jackass who owns Abecrombie, the upper management of First Order looks exemplary. “You remember, he's the guy who said he didn't want ugly people wearing his clothes?”

He snickered. “I remember. Guy looks like the albino orc from _Lord of the Rings_. Mr. Snoek just looks like he's still waiting to be offered the role of an old-school mentor attorney in a court drama.” He sighed and looked towards the window, where he could see the snow. “In any given decade of the past century, possibly the one before it.” 

“I think he's more likely play someone's scary uncle who owns the estate either the protagonist or his love interest lives at.” Rey snickered. “Did Mitaka give you _another_ tie?”

He looked down to see her holding the patterned jade article in question. “I try to refuse them, but it's like he channels my grandma when he does it. I'm starting to think I'm some attempt by the company to market ties to millennials.” 

“Remember what I told you about nude modeling.” She leaned up and kissed his chin. “Although I think states of undress are usually for trying to sell underwear or fragrances, and I'm pretty sure First Order sells neither.” 

“The closest they come is a sleep-wear line.” He chuckled. “Besides, the photographers would have to airbrush my face like crazy. Heaven forbid they show a scar or a beauty mark.” He rubbed Rey's back in slow circles. “Although they do that with everyone. Because even the girl on the cover of the magazine doesn't look like the girl who is on the cover.” 

“No kidding.” She stretched and got up. “I'm going to go change clothes – it might not be pajama time yet, but it's definitely sweats and t-shirt time. Fluffy socks too.” she headed for her room. 

“Agreed.” He rose and went into his room, tossing a pair of sweats and a shirt on his bed. He grabbed a pair of hangers from his closet and hung up his work clothes after changing. “You want to get anything done this weekend?” 

“If I can get those cats to sit still long enough for me to sketch them.” She chuckled and he heard her move into the kitchen. “You want me to dish you up a bowl of soup?”

“Yes, please.” He answered, sitting on the bed to switch out his socks. “You get your plans for spring break finalized?” 

“Uh huh. You going to be okay here on your own?” There was a pause, followed by a thump. “Yeah, you better get down from there, Ahsoka Cassiopeia.” She snorted. “How come Arya knows how to stay off the counters, but Miss Fluff can't?”

He grabbed a hoodie out of his closet before going to the kitchen. “Because Arya's not the feline equivalent of a teenager.” the cat in question came out of the kitchen and looked up him, and let out a rather defiant meow. “The surfaces in the kitchen are the one location you're not allowed to be on. I don't know what you're angry about.” He chuckled as she went to Rey's room, jumped onto the door handle and a moment later, made her way to sit on top of the door itself. “Crazy cat.” 

“Both of them are.” Rey answered. “You want to set the table while I dish up?”

“Sure.” He went into the kitchen, grabbing spoons, napkins, and ginger ales from the fridge. “Did you hear back on the storm chasing thing? You said it was going to be by the end of this week.” 

“Uh huh.” She grinned. “Summer job and my second science requirement is taken care of!” 

“Awesome.” He returned the smile and went to put the things down. While part of him was sad at spending most of the summer apart from her, he wasn't going to begrudge her the opportunity – besides, fixing cars and learning was something Rey really enjoyed. He'd probably be deep in edits on _Kylo Ren_ and having to be the one level headed person at First Order in the run up to Fashion Week in September. 

Rey came in with one bowl. “I'll be done by the end of July.” She gave him a shy smile. “I still get to be your plus one at Nate's wedding, right?”

He grinned. “Of course, though I can't promise I'll stop him from calling you three-buns Rey.” He cleared his throat. “Reminds me, Anna called me this morning. Her whole class is headed to Galveston for spring break. She'd have asked you on Facebook, but the internet connection De Smet has been patchy lately. She was wondering if you'd be interested in meeting up for lunch on Friday while you're both down there.” 

“I'll call and set up a meeting time.” She went into the kitchen again. “What's the name of the pizza place we went to? When we were kids, do you remember?”

“Marco's.” He smiled absently, looking down at the table as he set things in order. “Anna actually asked the same question, so I checked, it's still open. According to their website, they still have those amazing garlic knots.” 

Rey came back and set the other bowl of soup down. “I'll remember to talk nice this time.” She grinned. “Now that Anna can finally talk right.” 

He snorted as they sat down. “Quite the comment coming from someone who lives in a state with an infamous drawl. As far as I can tell, you, Finn and Poe are the only ones from Texas who don't have it.”

*

How was it already the second week of March? With the weather, school and everything, this month seemed more like one long week, rather than four separate ones. Rey yawned, and closed her sketchbook with a soft slap. It was late; well after eleven. After dinner, much like they had on most nights unless they were ready to fall asleep standing, she had gone to her studio and he'd gone into his study and they had both worked on their respected craft; she knew Ben was working on the sequel of his book – rather lofty, she knew, considering the first one wasn't even published.

But just like she had her own collection of drafts and reworking, this was his thing.

Maybe he was in there writing Narnia fan-fiction, she didn't care. If she had proper tools, she'd do commissioned artwork online. “Probably just need to figure out what I need and then get to it.” She shook her head and tidied up her work space, before turning off the light, grimacing at the storm outside. The snow was thick enough she couldn't make out the street below. “Damn.” She shut the door halfway behind her, grimacing when the wind slammed into the building, and she rubbed her arms as she went across the living room. 

Ahsoka and Arya were curled around each other in the middle of the couch, asleep. After glancing at the door to make sure all the locks were in place, she went over to Ben's study and knocked on the door before nudging it open. “Hey.”

Ben pulled his headphones down, she could hear REM's 'Orange Crush' coming from the tiny speakers. “Hey yourself.” He rubbed his eyes. “What time is it?”

“Little after eleven.” She came into the room, leaning against his desk. “How's the writing going?”

“Screenplays are a pain in the ass. Makes me glad I only need to do two scenes,” He chuckled. “My problem is having to switch from showing to telling.” He took the headphones off and set them on the desk. “ _Agnes Grey, Demon Hunter._ ” He snickered and saved his work before powering down the laptop. “I couldn't modernize it, mainly because some of the characters, several of them children, are so terrible, demonic possession is almost believable in the original story.” 

“I've never read it.” She reached over and smoothed down his hair. “When was the last time you got a haircut?”

“January.” He took her wrist in his hand and kissed her palm, then studied her fingers. “Someone's been sketching.” 

“How did you know?” She looked at the smudge on the heel of her hand. “Augh, why do I not notice these things?” 

He kissed her finger tips. “You get engrossed in your work, so you stop paying attention.” He smiled. “There's a bottle of hand sanitizer in the top desk drawer, if you want to use it.” 

“Thanks.” She stepped back and opened the drawer, grabbing the bottle and frowning down at the other contents. “There's nothing else in here but kitty treats and toys.” She squirted out a small amount of sanitizer and then replaced the container.

“You'd have them handy too if either of the diva sisters sat down in the middle of your sketchbook just because it's warm.” He gave her a sheepish look. “Bit of a bribe, gives me enough time to save my work and close my laptop.” 

She grinned, rubbing the smudge on her hand away. “Guess that makes sense.” She leaned against his desk, “Spring Break is the week after next. Where is this year going? I could swear it was January last week.” The only light in the room came from the two doorways, leaving them mostly in darkness, allowing her to see out the windows. “Never really have watched the snow since I came here.” She pulled away and went to sit on the low shelves. “Not without glowering.”

“Take this, I know you're cold.” Ben murmured, standing and joining her, draping his hoodie over her shoulders.

She slid her arms into the sleeves. “Thanks.” She gave him a smile as he rubbed her back. “I didn't think it'd still be snowing in March. Or well, this much snow.” She rested her head on his shoulder. “It's actually kind of pretty.” 

“Winter's one last punch.” He let out a slow breath. “Finn and Poe still have no idea you're headed to Texas?”

She grinned. “Nope. They asked if I was staying in Chicago. I lied and told them I was going to Florida with Rose.” She snickered. “Rose was more than happy to help in the ruse.” She grinned. “If that girl was any more cheerful, she'd be a cartoon character. I don't know how she does it.” 

“I'll take no major family issues for five hundred, Alex.” He quipped and she snorted. “Hey, it's true. She sort of reminds me of Jen and her family, except Rose is the youngest in hers. They both have the same sunny sort of personality you can't help but gravitate towards, hoping the cheerfulness is contagious.” He wrapped his arms around her. “We shouldn't sit here too long, you'll catch a chill, even with my sweatshirt.”

She leaned back against him, rubbing her cheek against his shoulder. “Why are you always so warm? You're like a furnace.” 

“I don't know.” He pressed his face into her hair, his hands resting over hers. “We've both been so busy lately, Sunshine. The terrible kind of busy you don't notice until you stop for a few moments to catch your breath.”

“Tell me about it, I was sort of surprised when I looked at my phone a few minutes ago and saw it wasn't after midnight.” She chuckled. “At least this snowstorm had the courtesy to show up on a Friday. Some heavy snows haven't been so considerate.” 

The wind roared outside, stirring up the snow and making everything other than the storm vanish. 

“White-out conditions.” Ben murmured against her neck. “Don't thaw out too much when you go to Texas. It won't be moderately warm here until the middle of April.” He hugged her tighter. “However, if you smuggle Spring back here in your suitcase, I won't object. Gwen didn't bring any warm weather back with her from Arizona.” 

“I'll see what I can do.” She stretched her legs out, frowning. “You still haven't put your picture frames back in place?” 

“No. Not with those two troublemakers constantly being up here.” He pulled away, resting his chin on her head. “I'd rather have them stored and out of sight than to come home and find broken glass and injured cats.” 

“Agreed.” She took one of his hands in both of hers. “Reminds me, who's going to watch the pair when we both go to Kansas City in August?” 

“Gwen and Leslie. It's only for a few days.” He kissed her temple. “I forward the motion we put on pajamas and snuggle some place warmer.” 

Rey stretched, wincing as she heard a joint pop. “Seconded.” She covered a yawn and stood. “You weren't kidding about the twenty-one hours.” They went into the living room. “Remind me not to do something so stupid ever again.” 

“I don't think you'll need to be reminded.” Ben stated as he went over to check the locks. “Oh, I forgot about the mail.” He went back over to his office and came back a moment later with a handful of envelopes.

She shook her head, pausing in the doorway of her room. “Are you expecting something?” 

“Nothing important.” He shrugged as he turned out the dining room lights, leaning into the kitchen to check everything was off in there, tossing the stack of envelopes onto the table. “It can wait until tomorrow. Besides, I doubt anything there will be any mail tomorrow, with this weather, not unless the postal service has acquired a fleet of monster trucks.” 

“I'd rather the city fix all the potholes, for the sake of all the drivers first.” Rey remarked as she shut the door and got her pajamas out of the dresser. She heard the water in the bathroom come on and she shook her head as she changed clothes, and ran a hand through her hair. She still wasn't sure if she wanted to grow it back out, or keep it short. She leaned against the door-frame as Ben came out into the hallway. “We didn't pick a room.” 

He covered his eyes and shook his head, chuckling. The two of them had been so busy the last six weeks, they rarely shared a bed. “Either is fine, your choice.” 

She glanced behind her, “we're less likely to be woken up by a cat fight if we sleep in mine. You don't even have to be here for Arya to freak out if Ahsoka is on yours.” 

He shook his head. “It's not so much her being on it, it's sleeping on it.” He headed for his room. “I still need to change.” 

“No rush.” She stated, going into the bathroom. As she brushed her teeth, she smiled absently; she'd missed the simple domesticity with Ben. For the past six weeks, they'd been more like roommates than they had ever been. They didn't even have dinner together too often, and on the weekends, they both did the things they couldn't do when they were working. 

She rinsed her brush off and ran a cleaning cloth over her face, frowning when she heard Ben's phone go off. Who'd be calling him this late? She went over to the door and opened it in time to hear him answer it. 

“Do you know what time it is here, Dad?” His tone was perfectly even; and she nearly laughed, because she recognized it; it was his work voice. 

She turned the lights off and looked into Ben's room, and when he caught sight of her, he rolled his eyes. 

“Viking has asked you to retire?” He sat down on the bed, and she calmly came over and joined him, keeping one hand on his shoulder while the other rubbed in back in slow, comforting circles. “You're not planning on moving to Chicago, are you?”

Rey grimaced at the idea. If Han moved here, she couldn't picture any scenario such a thing would be a good. How foolish was this guy? She was fairly certain Ben hadn't talked to the man since January.

“Oklahoma City.” He shook his head. “I don't have to answer that, Dad. It's not your business.” He rolled his eyes again, and then focused on the ceiling, his free hand coming up and squeezing hers. “No, no I don't. that's between me and Diana.” 

She straightened at the mention of Ben's sister. Clearly, she'd missed something important in the past six weeks, or he'd forgotten to mention it. She kept moving her hand on his back, resisting the urge to take the phone from him and end the conversation.

“Last time I checked, you and mom's divorce was official as of February first. What she's doing now is none of your business, even if she decided to take up sky diving.” He glanced over at her, shaking his head. “Yes, I know my mother hates flying. I'm surprised you actually remember.” He took a breath. “I'm too tired to have this conversation rationally. It's nearly midnight. Don't do something really stupid and call Diana.” He hit the end call button and tossed the phone on the bed. “Why doesn't he think?” 

“I don't know.” She pressed kiss to his temple. “I think we have a snuggle session to continue.” 

“Yeah.” He stood and put his phone to charge. “Once again, family drama shows up to disturb an otherwise decent day.” 

She held out her hand and he clasped it as they walked out his room and into hers. “You're overtired because you've been working too hard.” She intoned, “I've been studying too hard and not doing a good job of taking care of myself. What we both need is a good night's sleep.” 

Ben chuckled. “Granny Kenobi, is it?” 

“If my grandmother was anything like yours is, you shouldn't say such things.” She withdrew from him in her room to put her own phone to charge. “You're not going to let Nate sleep in here next Friday, are you?”

“No.” He came around to the other side of the bed, and started to remove throw pillows. “He's already claimed the futon. It's where he slept when he came to see me in June.” 

The two of them pulled the blankets down together. “You going to be all right? I don't know much about the box, but...” 

“I have a session scheduled with Doctor Andres a week from Monday.” He looked oddly proud. “My first in almost two months.” 

“You didn't go with the group therapy?” She paused. “Or do you mean your first individual session?” 

“First individual.” He let out a breath. “The group therapy thing didn't work out for the good doctor. Too many conflicting schedules.” He ran a hand through his hair. “My down's due to end soon, and then into my wonderful swing in the opposite direction.”

She turned out the lights then got into bed, and a moment later, Ben curled up behind her, holding her close. “You don't want to be the little spoon?”

“No.” He pressed his lips against her temple. “Tomorrow night.” He arranged the covers over the two of them. “Plenty warm?”

“Perfect.” She closed her eyes, listening to the two of them breathing and grimacing when she heard the phone go off in the other room again. “Your dad's moving to Oklahoma then?”

“Yeah. I'd forgotten about his friend Lando. He owns a ranch down there.” He sighed, nuzzling her neck. “I neither know nor care how long the situation is going to last.” He sighed. “He's currently in Honolulu waiting to board a plane to Baltimore.” 

“No wonder he had no idea what time it is here.” She kissed his finger tips. “Have you seen Diana again?”

“Not outside of Skype. We talk on Tuesday evenings. Not this past Tuesday, however. She was in Holland.” He let out a breath. “Her mom, Sonja, passed away last week. They went back for the funeral.” 

“Fuck.” Rey turned and looked up into his face. “Poor kid.” 

“Yeah.” He pressed his lips against her forehead. “I don't think it's Viking asking my dad to retire. I think he may actually be trying to cobble his life back together after fucking it up so horribly.” He sighed. “Crazy as it is. Makes me glad I won't be in Chicago for the graduation ceremony at De Paul. Damn idiot might just show up.”

“Sleep time.” Rey didn't want to start this conversation so late. “We need it.” 

“Sleep is a beautiful thing.” He chuckled. “Almost as beautiful as you.” 

“Watch it.” She yawned. “By the way, exactly how many ties has Mitaka given you?”

“Nine. Not one of them close to the same color.” He yawned as well. “Good night, Rey.” 

“Night.” she tilted her head up and kissed the underside of his chin, closing her eyes and letting herself drift off, the even thumping of Ben's heart against her ear. 

*

It was almost eleven in the morning when Ben heard Rey get out of bed. He'd been up since eight and had done his best to remain quiet and keep the cats from waking her up either. There was a loud groan from the kitchen and he shook his head as he tossed another stack of clothes from his closet onto his bed. “Morning, sleepyhead.”

“Why'd you let me sleep so late?” She called. “Sheesh, it's practically time for lunch!” 

“I kept the Keurig full of water for you.” He shrugged. “And if you want to skip breakfast and eat lunch instead, go right ahead.” He started to separate the garments on the bed into shirts and pants. He hadn't done a full closet clean-out in forever. It made him cringe to think what he might find when he started on the dresser. 

“Coffee first.” Rey's voice came from the doorway. “Holy crap, your closet is stuffed.” She went over and sat on her usual side of the bed, cradling her mug. “Is this why you tend to wear the same things over and over?” 

“I'm actually a little disgusted with myself for taking so long to do this.” He checked a pair of jeans. “These don't even fit me anymore.” He removed them from their hanger and tossed them into the open tote next to his dresser. “I'm as bad as my mother, letting things pile up. Particularly when I'm usually better at taking care of stuff like this.” 

“Considering she told me she found coats from your high school days in her hall closet before she moved, I think you might be doing better.” She took a sip from her mug. “I might need to look through my own stuff.” 

He gave her a half smile. “I took my heaviest, most practical coat with me when I left. I know, having more than one coat sounds kind of...”

“No, no.” She held up her hand. “I can see how it makes sense, growing up in this climate. You have your everyday coat, your dress up coat, your shoveling snow coat...” She took a sip from her mug. “I'm still surprised I found as good of a coat as I did.” 

Ben shook his head as he checked the size of a dress shirt. “This is too small too.” He pulled it off the hanger. “Like four years too small.” He glanced at the garment. “You want it?” 

She set the mug down and held her hand out, taking it from him. “Sleeves might be a little long.” She looked it over. “Exactly how long have you been wearing First Order shirts?”

He ducked his head. “Uh, since as long as I can remember.” He decided to finish the pants first. “Oh, did you want to borrow my carry-on for your trip? So you can avoid the luggage claim nightmare?” He checked the pockets of a pair of shorts before tossing them into the give-away bin. 

“Sure.” she set the shirt aside on the pillow next to her, yawning before taking another sip of coffee. “It's not like I have to pack heavy clothing.” She gave him a smile over the rim of her cup. “I might even do something incredibly foolish, like not wear my coat on the way to the airport.” 

He chuckled. “Well, I may have to bring it with me when I pick you up when you get back.” He set a pair of dark blue jeans into keep pile. “I haven't checked the weather.” 

“It's sort of weird, going back.” She looked into her mug. “I know I've seen Finn and Poe on Skype, and talked to them on the phone, but it's not the same.” She took a drink. “Make sense?”

“Yeah.” He set a pair of gray slacks on top of the jeans. “It's never the same, is it?” 

“No.” She paused. “How about you? Looking forward to seeing Jen and Nate?” 

He grinned. “Yeah, last time I saw Nate, I was barely coherent in the ICU.” He tried to smile. “And he hasn't seen Fours since... well, since we were all in grade school.” 

“See, that's crazy.” She took another drink of coffee. “You were all... _kids_.” 

He sighed, feeling his smile falter. “It was a better time. Everyone except Jen and I lived in the same subdivision, within four blocks of each other. Jen and I lived in what we jokingly called the 'back cul-de-sac, because it was all the way in the rear of our neighborhood, and there are woods bordering our old backyards.”

She set her mug down. “Big woods?” She hugged one of the throw pillows in her lap. 

“Not really, not like a forest or anything.” He ran a hand through his hair and pulled a pair of khakis off their hanger. “It was maybe half a mile of trees before you hit a tall security fence and the fairway of the fourteenth hole of the Briar Ridge golf course.” He tossed the pants into the pile. “that was the subdivision behind ours. We lived in McKinley Estates.” He shrugged. “I know, dumb names.” 

She looked away and ducked her head. “I'm trying to figure out which one of those two are more pretentious.” 

“McKinley. I am a firm believer of developers simply slapping the name 'estates' on to subdivisions to make them sound fancier than they really are.” He took a breath, thinking. “McKinley might be a little fancy.” He set another pair of jeans in the keep stack. “Though when you compare it to Briar Ridge...” He let out a derisive snort. “It might as well be stating you live in a cardboard box under a bridge on the Ohio River.”

“Let me guess, the fence was topped with razor wire to keep you and your friends out.” She reached over for her mug. “Sounds... weird.” She took a drink.

“Uh huh.” He checked the pockets of a pair of navy slacks before tossing them into the give-away. “Five strands of it.” He grinned. “Nate and I used to look for golf-balls and chuck them back over onto the course. Not all of them – we kept a few we thought were cool, and the ones we knew were expensive. I don't have mine anymore.” He cleared his throat, trying to push the memories back. While not entirely unpleasant, his brain had a nasty habit of linking things up quickly so they would turn sour.

Rey set her mug down and then got up, coming around to his side of the bed and hugging him. “You need one of these. Actually, lots of these.” 

He wrapped his arms around her, pressing his face into her hair, inhaling deeply. “Thank you.” 

She chuckled, tightening her embrace. “You're welcome.” 

*

Knowing what the week ahead looked like, Rey decided it was best to pack her suitcase now, when she actually had the time, than do it in a rush on Thursday. She could hear Ben still going through his clothes in the other room, and she set her mug down on the nightstand after taking another drink from it. It was strange how eager she felt; it was similar to how she felt before she boarded the bus back in August. So much had happened since then. 

Arya sauntered into the room and jumped up on the bed, lying down on the pillow Ben had used last night.

“You are a strange kitty.” She shook her head and opened her dresser. “Or are you actually being nice to Ahsoka and letting her into Ben's room?” She took out a set of pajamas as her phone rang and she smiled, picking it up. “Hi, Finn.” 

“Hey, Peanut.” Her friend's voice sounded far too cheerful. “It's snowing again, huh?” 

“Yes.” She rolled her eyes as she set the clothes on the bed. “Don't worry, I'm staying dry and warm inside.” 

“I'm down here where there is almost no weather worth remarking on.” He laughed. “How have you been?”

“Not bad. Busy. Word of advice, never take twenty-one hours.” She took out another nightshirt. “What's up?” 

“Not much – taking a study break from midterms.” He cleared his throat. “You hear back on that storm chasing thing?” 

“Yup. Looks like I have a summer job.” She grinned and then sighed. “I'm sorry I'm not coming back to Texas.”

“It's fine, I might not be going back either.” He cleared his throat. “I applied for an internship too, it's.. it's in Chicago.” 

Rey blinked. “That's awesome, what's it for?” 

“A marketing firm called Resistance with branches all over the country.” He took a breath. “Trouble is, I have to find a place to stay if I want to take it, and I was wondering if you knew anyone up there who needs a roommate, or someone to hold their apartment while they go back home for the summer.” 

She frowned, trying to think of any conversations she'd heard in class and then realized she already knew someone with room. “I'm going to have you talk to Ben. Technically, this is his apartment, but if I'm going to be gone for two months, technically, there's space here. If you don't mind cats.” 

“I can't believe you just asked me that!” He laughed as she tossed a t-shirt onto the bed. “I didn't want to intrude, besides, wouldn't it be – sort of weird?” 

“Like it wasn't sort of weird when I was living in your boyfriend's basement?” She grinned. “Besides, you can finally stop worrying about if Ben's a psycho.” 

“I heard that!” Ben called from the hallway. “Are you talking to Finn?” 

“Yes.” She answered and he came over to the door, watching her. “Here, you explain the situation, Finn, I'll watch.” She handed Ben the phone. 

“Hi.” His voice was instantly polite; it floored Rey how he could match his voice to any situation with ease. Then again, he had plenty of practice in the art of pretending. “Yeah, I know Resistance Enterprises, they're in the same building as First Order.” He looked over at her, his eyebrows lifting. “Awesome! Congratulations!” 

Rey went back to her dresser and counted out nine pairs of panties, keeping her face perfectly even as she set them on the bed.

“From when to when?” He coughed. “I don't have a problem with it. Rey has warned you about the Phasmas, hasn't she.” 

She shot him a look and he winked at her. 

“Email me the details and I'll send you the basics.” He smiled, rather sheepishly. “No, I'm not going to Florida with Rey. I have to stay up here and feed my cats.” He laughed. “Sounds great.” He held the phone back to her. “Now you don't have to worry about me being all alone this summer.” 

She took the phone back. “Oh god, he's going to tell you all the embarrassing stuff.” She groaned as she held the device up. “Maybe leaving the two of you alone is a bad idea.” 

“Too late, Peanut.” Finn laughed. “Don't worry, I won't tell him everything.” 

“Well, he already knows about the locker-room incident.” She shook her head as Ben retreated back to his room. “Although it's not like our entire class didn't know to begin with.” She started tossing socks onto the bed, and Arya started diving after them. “I'm trying to pack here, Little Miss!” 

“Packing for Florida already?” He coughed. “Sorry, getting over a cold.” 

“Yeah.” She shook her head as Arya dropped a pair of socks by her feet. “No, if you want to play fetch, you need to find your ball.” The cat ran for the other door and into her studio as Rey picked up the socks. “I need to pack now, or I'll wake up Friday morning and head off to O'Hare forgetting something important, like my toothbrush.” 

“Don't forget your sunscreen, Peanut.” He quipped. “You're going to need it. Weather report says Tampa is already in the eighties.” 

“Sounds wonderful.” She opened the bottom dresser drawer and took out the bottle she'd put there back in November. “What's it going to be like in Houston?” 

“The same, actually.” He chuckled. “You're actually going to have some spring weather for your spring break.” 

She smiled and shut the drawer as Arya's ball hit her foot. “Can't wait.”


	28. Just Another Friday

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's the start of Spring Break. Rey and Ben share a long good bye kiss before going to the airport. Rey's day turns out to be relatively normal; and a warm welcome is waiting for her at the Damerons. Ben's day turns out to be a little stranger than he planned.

Rey woke up before her alarm went off. It was Friday, and she was headed back to Texas. It'd been eight months since she'd been there, but it seemed longer. Too much had happened; most of it for the better. All of her professors had scheduled their midterms before Friday, and the studios were closing at three this afternoon. She'd be in Houston before then. Dropping a half a cup of food into each of the cat bowls, she put her coffee mug in place under the Keurig as she heard Ben's alarm go off. 

He was going to go on the L with her to the airport, and then he'd head into work. 

She frowned at her feet as he started to move around in the other room, and Ahsoka came into the kitchen to inspect the food bowls. Arya followed, and she gave Rey a rather disdainful look before going to eat. “Morning.” She took her mug and replaced it with Ben's, putting his favorite pod as he yawned from the other side of the kitchen.

“Morning.” He grumbled and came over, kissing the top of her head. “All packed?”

She nodded. “Everything but my hairbrush.” 

“I'll take your coat with me after we get to the airport. You won't need a parka in Houston.” He smiled absently. “And don't worry, I won't lose it. It's too bright for me to forget it.” 

She took a drink of coffee. “I talked to Finn yesterday afternoon. He and Poe were planning on starting their drive back to Houston around five their time this morning. Of course, they still think I'm Florida bound.” 

He smiled, running a hand through his hair. “You don't think they'll do something stupid and decide to head towards Tampa, did they?”

She shook her head. “No, I talked to Mrs. Dameron too – it helps Poe's grandmother's birthday is this coming Tuesday. She'll be ninety and may never forgive her grandson if he misses it.” 

“As well she should.” Ben chuckled. “Reaching ninety is no mean feat.” His expression fell. “Not a single person in my family's ever made it.” 

Rey took another sip of coffee. “Miss Padme seems like she could live to see a hundred with ease.” 

He shook his head and reached over to take his coffee mug. “Fifteen years from now, closer to fourteen.” He grimaced. “I'll be almost forty.” 

“You'll probably have gray hair by then.” She snickered and saw his smirk. “What?”

“No I won't. I have my grandma's hair and she didn't go gray until I was in high school.” He winked. “Or she stopped using Clairol and accepted her silver hair.” He reached over and took his coffee mug, wrapping his hands around it. “What time is your flight again?” 

“Nine.” She paused. “You're not going to get in trouble for being late to work, are you?” 

“I won't be more than twenty minutes behind. Most everyone's so caught up in their own work, my absence from the front desk won't be noticed.” He took a sip of coffee. “Only one who notices is Mitaka, but I think he has me confused with a coat rack half the time.” 

She chuckled. “I'm going to come back here and find he's given you another half-dozen ties.” 

“I only get ties because they don't make sample sizes of clothes in my size.” He took another drink from his mug. “Legs are too long for the pants, shoulders are too wide for the shirts.” 

She took a sip of coffee, grinning at him over the rim. “I never could understand why models are always stick thin and around your height.” 

“Don't try and figure it out, you'll get a migraine.” He took another drink of coffee. “Breakfast.” He set the cup down and went over to the fridge. “Cereal?”

“Cereal's good.” She set her mug down and went over to the pantry, scanning the shelves. “It doesn't matter what I eat, I know I'll get to Texas starving.” She looked back at him. Mrs Dameron already told me we're going to In-N-Out for lunch.”

“I understand about missing regional foods, it's the only thing I ever miss from Buffalo..” He took down two bowls from the cupboard. “Although Chicago does put up a good attempt at most of them. There still plenty of Frosted Flakes?”

“I think so.” She grabbed the box and shook it. Heavy enough for there to be at least half-full. “Though we don't go out for food much.” 

“I blame the winter weather and every restaurant in our area is a seven dollars for a cup of coffee kind of place.” He shook his head. “And has a dress code. The only exception is the doughnut shop on the corner by the L.”

She grimaced. “Not to mention we always have plenty of food here. I don't suppose you could teach Doors and Drawers to wash the dishes while I'm gone, could you?”

He laughed as the two cats in question chased each other out of the kitchen. “No. Make the beds, maybe.” 

“Good luck.” She poured each of them a bowlful of cereal. “What time are Nate and Jen getting in?”

“Jen arrives at one, Nate a little before. Jasmine's going to pick them up and we'll all be meeting up for dinner at six. Fours was able to get the weekend off, using the fact she volunteered to work on major holidays during the season as a reason.” he added the milk and then put the container back into the fridge. “Although if you're looking for a gift at nine pm on Christmas Eve, you're not going to Macy's.”

“I can't believe they were open until ten.” She took her bowl, leaning against the counter. “Every place I worked for during the holidays closed at six.” She ate a few bites of cereal, watching Ben as he did the same, slow and methodical. “You okay?”

“Trying to keep my mental state on point. It's going to be sort of weird this evening. First time the four of us have been together since we were in seventh grade.” He smiled wanly. “I'll be okay. It's not like I'm going to be alone in the apartment during the weekend. Nate will be here and I'm going to see Doctor Andres Monday afternoon.” 

She turned her focus on her own food. “If you need to, call me.” She moved the cereal around with her spoon. “I'll try and bring back some warm weather.” 

Ben went over and put his bowl in the sink and paused to pick up his mug and kissed her temple. “You're the only sunshine I need, Sunshine.” He smiled and left the kitchen.

“You can get a shower first.” She called after him, drinking the milk from her bowl before putting it into the sink. 

“You want to take one together?” He countered and she felt her cheeks go pink. “We have time, it's only half past five.” 

She picked up her mug and walked out of the kitchen, smirking at him from the doorway. “I think you have something other than washing up in mind.” 

He went over to the bath, opening the door and taking off his shirt. “I don't know what you're talking about.” 

“Smartass.” She took a large sip of coffee and set the mug on the table, following him into the other room, shutting the door behind her. “Do I get to wash your hair?” 

Ben pulled open the shower door and turned the water on, his back to her. “Only if I get to wash yours.” He slid out of his sweats as she took off her own pajamas and followed him into the stall, shutting the door behind her.

“You're incorrigible.” She muttered as he picked up her mesh sponge and shower gel. There wasn't much room inside for the both of them, and she rested her forehead against his chest as the hot water sprayed down her back. 

“You say it like it's something bad.” He muttered against her and then turned her around so her head was over his shoulder, and she could feel his cock hard against her rear. “It's hard when you're so damn insatiable.” 

She let out a gasp as she felt the mesh sponge go down her front, his other hand following the paths it made across her skin. “I get to do this too, right?”

“Of course.” He lifted her left leg to wash it, “it's only fair.” He set the left in place and picked up the right. “If you need me to crouch, I will.” He put her leg down and turned her around to wash her back. 

Rey rested against his chest, sighing as she felt his hands move up into her hair, lathering it slowly. “Don't let me get soap or shampoo in my eyes.” 

“I won't.” He straightened her up, placing her in the small gap between the shower spray and the wall before handing his own sponge and shower gel to her. “My turn.” 

She shook her head as she worked up a lather. “I'm not sure which of us this is more unfair to – you've got more skin to clean.” She started on his pecs, trying not to focus on the scars marking the surface. “And I've got more hair, even if I'm keeping it short.”

“Your hair is a two step process.” He reached out and pulled her more under the spray, working the suds from her tresses while she cleaned his sides.

“Point.” Her wrist brushed against his cock as she washed his hip, and he let out a low hiss. “Sorry.”

“Don't be.” He twisted around slightly to grab her bottle of conditioner. “Fortunately it won't take us as long to get to the airport on the L then it would to drive.” He chuckled as he started to work the conditioner into her hair and she ran the sponge around his sides to reach his back. “Not having to find a parking space being reason one.” 

She chuckled and moved closer to him so she could keep track of her progress. “You know, as terrible as all the waiting is, I can understand why they tell you to show up two hours before your scheduled time to leave.” She groaned as his hands slid down her front and he started to thumb her nipples. “Not fair.” 

“What's not fair about it?” He tugged at them gently. “Your conditioner needs to set for a few minutes, I need to keep my hands busy.” 

“Oh, I know all about those busy hands of yours.” she reached back and put his mesh sponge on one of the shower dials. “Wicked things they are.” 

“And you enjoy every second.” He nuzzled her neck, breathing against her ear, moving them around in a slow circle, so his back was to the shower. “Don't you?”

She set her hand against his chest, trying to steady herself. “Your hair needs washing.” She turned to grab his bottle of shampoo and nearly laughed when she found him kneeling, his head level with her stomach. “You don't need to be down there, Ben,” 

He wrapped his arms around her waist, setting his head against her belly. “I like it here.” 

Pouring some of the liquid soap into her hands, she replaced the bottle before she started to lather up his hair. “Don't move suddenly, I don't want to get this in your eyes.” 

“Okay.” Ben kept his hands resting on her hips, smiling as she worked on his hair. “Feels nice, Sunshine.” 

She smiled, rubbing the back of his neck. “Do you use this stuff on your goatee?”

“Nope, wash it with the same soap I use on my face.” He straightened up a few inches, keeping his eyes on hers as he closed his mouth over her right nipple and began to suck.

“Ben!” She let out a breathy gasp, falling back against the shower wall. Her reaction was clearly all the encouragement he needed before he drew more of her breast into his mouth, his hand coming up to palm the other, his fingers plucking the stiff peak in time to the movements of his lips. She closed her eyes, setting her hand on his shoulder. “Yes...” 

“Darling.” He murmured as he let her nipple go with a wet pop, only to take the other into his hot mouth, his tongue flicking over the surface. 

Rey whimpered, biting her bottom lip. “You tease.” She gasped out as he tugged on her sensitive flesh with his teeth. “Wicked, wicked tease...”

“Wicked?” Ben's voice was barely audible over the running water. “If I was wicked...” His hands slid down to her thighs, lifting them up as he rose to his feet. “Would I do this?” He moved between her legs, sliding his cock inside her waiting quim in one long thrust, draping her legs over his hips.

She wrapped her arms around him, groaning as her body adjusted to his girth. “Makes you more wicked.” She gasped against his ear as he slipped deeper. “You and your monster cock.” 

He snickered, withdrawing slightly before pushing himself back into her. “Oh, I have a monster cock, do I?”

“Most definitely.” She groaned as he slowly started to thrust in and out of her, “still wonder sometimes how you fit inside me.”

He rocked his hips against hers. “You have such a lovely, tight pussy, Rey.” He set his forehead against hers. “Not hurting you, am I?”

“No.” She tightened her legs around his hips as he drove deeper into her. “You've never hurt me when we do this.” She ran her fingers through his hair, “not even the first time we did this.” She groaned as he started rocking his hips faster.

“I'm still afraid I'll break you.” He kissed her forehead, something strangely chaste as he fucked her. “Even though I know you're far from delicate.” 

She groaned as he slid all the way in to the hilt, gasping. “Perhaps you'd like me to be delicate sometime.” She grinned, running her fingertips along his ear, hearing him groan as he thrust hard in and out of her. “Shy, demure and innocent.” She shuddered as she felt his hips still before returning to their stride, harder and deeper than before. 

“Is this your way of telling me you have a role-play kink, Sunshine?” He chuckled. “I believe I know what we'll be doing two Fridays from now.” He tightened his hold on her and began to thrust harder.

Rey shivered at the idea, tilting her head back and crying out his name as she came, and a heartbeat later, felt him follow her over the edge. 

*

O'Hare was almost the exact same madhouse it was back in December. The crowd, however, instead of families, seemed to be nothing but college students from the three major universities in Chicago headed out of winter and bound for some place warm. Ben was rather relieved he was staying on this side of security; the gauntlet of TSA workers seemed particularly stern looking today. Most of the crowd from the L were still in line at the check-in counter. 

“I'll text you when I land.” Rey took off her coat and handed it to him. “Did you remember to pack your lunch?” 

“I did.” He tucked her coat over his messenger bag. “The yellow trash bag by your door are donations for the Goodwill.” He kissed her forehead. “I might end up cleaning the whole apartment while you're gone.” He pulled her into a hug, pressing his face into her hair. “Have a good time in Texas.” 

“I will.” She returned the embrace. “You take care of yourself.” She pulled away and kissed him softly. “See you next Sunday.” 

He smiled. “Yeah.” He kissed her again and let her go. “Tell Anna hi for me.” 

“No problem.” She shouldered her backpack and grasped her carry-on. “I'll remember to talk nice.” She chuckled and walked to the end of the security queue.

Ben stuck his hands in his pockets, watching her go, his smile becoming more certain. “See you next Friday.” He turned and headed back out into the cold morning, bent into the wind, headed for the bus stop. It was quicker than walking back to the L and going through transfers to get downtown. As he made his way, he heard a car honk behind him, and out of instinct, he turned as a limousine pulled up to the curb next to him and the rear window rolled down. “Oh lord, what now?” He frowned as the open window came to his level. “May I help you?”

“I thought it was you, Benjamin.” It was Mr. Snoek, looking utterly delighted. “You're not headed off on spring break, are you?”

He rearranged his scarf. “I had to take someone else here. I'm headed into work, sir.” He kept his expression calm. “Did you enjoy your trip to Kyoto?”

“Exhausting.” He looked him over, the critical expression he gave everyone when assessing their attire. “Would you care for a ride? I'm certain Marietta in personnel will not give you a hard time for being late if you come in with me.” 

To his credit, Ben barely flinched at the suggestion. “I don't want you to go to any trouble, Mr. Snoek.” 

“Trouble.” He scoffed and waved his hand again. “We're headed to the same place. We're both here, and I am, for all extents and purposes, your boss, and therefore, I insist.” 

The driver got out of the car and went to the door on the other side. 

“Thank you, sir.” Ben shook his head, going around the back of the car. “This is not how I thought today was going to go.” He wasn't going to admit he wasn't thrilled to not have to get onto a city bus, which, while statistically safer than the L, still unnerved him. He blamed the movie Speed. “Thank you.” He said to the chauffeur as he took off his bag and set inside before getting to the car himself. 

“Much more comfortable than public transportation.” Mr. Snoek remarked as Ben put on his seat-belt. “You've been working for First Order nearly two months, yes?”

Ben nodded. “I have.” He wasn't certain how to have a conversation with the man; this was nothing like talking to his past bosses. “I'm extremely grateful for the job and the opportunity.” 

“Rubbish.” The man sat back. “Be honest with me, Benjamin. If I wanted to hear such rehearsed and standard answers, I'd visit the theater.” His eyes narrowed. “I've been wanting to ask, what happened there?” He pointed to his cheek. 

“I was hit by a car.” He cleared his throat. “Never break your ribs if you can possibly avoid it.” 

“I'll try and remember.” He straightened his shoulders and crossed his legs, setting his hands on his knee. “When did the accident occur?”

“Last summer, and compared to what happened to the car, I'm in near-perfect condition.” He managed a smile. “I'm here and the car's in a junk yard in Kankakee.” 

The man's mouth twitched upward. “I can't say I've been there.” He lifted his chin. “Anything happen this week while I was gone you feel I should know about?” 

He shook his head. “I'm afraid no one tells me anything, sir. Except what they want for lunch and at what time.” He ran a hand through his hair. “And it's never sandwiches.” 

“Yes, bread seems to the main villain in everyone's diet..” The man frowned and then looked out the window. “This isn't the usual road, what the devil is going on?”

Ben saw the street they had turned off of was blocked, then noticed most of the people outside were wearing green, and it was far more packed out there than normal. “Saint Patrick's Day, sir.” He was surprised he hadn't remembered when he checked the date. “It does explain the traffic.” 

“Oh, this is going to be a fun day.” Mr. Snoek made a derisive noise and then took out his cell phone. “At least half the employees will call off with a 'stomach bug' leaving the rest of us to pick up the slack. It's Friday, we need to get things done before the weekend.” 

Rather than comment, he unwound his scarf, folding it carefully as he tucked it inside his bag. To keep himself occupied, he checked the pockets of Rey's coat, turning up nothing but a few peppermints and a small stack of folded tissues.

“Is Angelo in yet?” Mr. Snoek barked into his phone. “Where is he?” The man's cheeks went slightly pink. “Benjamin is in the car with me, how was he supposed to take the message?”

Ben ducked his head and started counting the stitches on Rey's coat. 

“Because I saw him leaving the airport terminal.” He coughed. “Honestly, I spend three days in Japan and everything goes to shit?” 

He didn't want to say it out loud, but Mr. Snoek sounded surprisingly similar to his mother when she was on the warpath in a courtroom. Of course, to get his mother into her full-on rage, the cause had to be major. He'd only witnessed it a handful of times, the last had been when she helped bring down a company who knowingly let baby formula be made overseas which was tested with impure water and passed regulations there. Only for it have to turn toxic when mixed with most standard treated water in the US and Canada. They had used some such bullshit as they intended for it to be used for livestock, not humans. 

“Mitaka, how many people in your department have shown up for work today?” He barked, and Ben shot a look over a him. “You and Kelsey? No one else?” He tapped his fingers against his knee. “I know Jasper is in Paris, he's excused.” he glanced over at Ben then back out the window. “Well then, since so many of the staff has chosen to take off, it's time to clean out the closets.” He cleared his throat. “Yes, all of them.” 

The car came to a stop at a red light, and Ben shifted in his seat, pulling his phone from his bag and checked his messages, desperate for some kind of distraction. Being in this backseat with the CEO of First Order while he barked out orders was rapidly becoming one of the most awkward situations he'd ever been in.

_Flights are leaving on time for a change. See y'all in a few hours – N_

Ben rolled his eyes before firing off an answer to his friend.

_Y'all? What dreadful terms you're learning in Texas._

A moment later, Jasmine added to the conversation.

_Y'all need to embrace y'all._

The car moved forward slowly, the traffic backing up even further. Ben was closer to work now than he would have gotten on the bus. He glanced over at Mr. Snoek, who was only looking more perturbed at whatever Mitaka was telling him. He looked back at his phone and then added another text to the conversation.

_Riding in a car with my boss. And here I told Rey I'd stay out of trouble._

A horn blared somewhere behind them and he looked up, then glanced out the back window. “Yeah, we all forgot how to move up here. Thanks for reminding us about accelerators.” 

“Damn.” Mr. Snoek muttered and glared at his phone. “Convenient as these things are, why must they always die in the middle of something important?” He pulled his own leather bag towards him and stuck the device into the front pocket before opening the bag and taking out a yellow paper tablet. “Benjamin, I want you to take some notes.” He set a pen on top of the tablet and held it out.

He took it and adjusted his leg so he could rest the pad against it. “I don't know shorthand.” 

“Bother shorthand, just as long as it's legible.” He cleared his throat and started speaking. 

*

Rey spent most of her flight sketching her sleeping seatmate. The elderly gentleman had simply smiled and removed his hat, asking for her to wake him if they came by with beverages for a second time. He'd started snoring five minutes later. She covered a yawn as the fasten seat-belt sign pinged and she looked up from her work, surprised. “Huh?”

“Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen, this is your first officer speaking.” A man's voice crackled over the intercom. “We're beginning our approach into Houston. We ask that you discontinue the use of any electronic devices at this time. Time in Houston is twelve-oh-one, and it's currently seventy-two degrees.” 

“Seventy-two.” she didn't hear the rest of the message as the idea of such warmth washed over her. She hadn't seen such warm weather since the beginning of October. “Thank you, _God_.” she muttered and quickly started to put her things away. 

“Where are we?” the man sitting next to her muttered. “We land?”

“Soon.” She offered, hauling her backpack out from under the seat in front of her to put her sketchbook away and take out a pack of cleaning wipes. “It's sunny and warm down there.” 

He chuckled, putting his seat upright. “Little too much winter in Chicago for you, then?”

“Yeah.” She wiped off her hands and then did the same to her tray-table. “I haven't been back here since August.” 

“Ah, coming home.” He smiled and nodded. “Would you like to get out and push?” 

She laughed, shaking her head. “No, I think I can wait a little while longer.” She stuffed the dirty cloths into her empty cup. Where had the time gone? It seemed only thirty minutes ago she'd been in gray, cold and impending snow Chicago, and now she was here, in sunny, warm and green Houston. She glanced out the window as the plane turned, and she grinned at the sight of the Gulf of Mexico below her. Still as blue as ever. 

Once the trash had been picked up, Rey kept her focus out the window, laughing to herself when she realized she had no idea what she was supposed to look for in terms of landmarks. She'd never landed at this airport, and as they descended, the neighborhoods seemed to blur together, and she closed her eyes, taking a few breaths to calm herself as the landing gear was lowered and when she looked again, her view had been obstructed by the plane's spoilers. 

“Flight attendants, please take your seats.” the first officer's voice came over the intercom again. 

She sat back, glancing over at her seatmate, who was perfectly calm. “Sorry.” 

“Don't be.” He smiled. “Not too many plane trips, I take it?” 

“No.” She shook her head. “Actually, this is my first landing in decent weather.” 

He laughed. “I quite understand.” he smiled. “I'm a retired pilot myself. These days it's more computers than actual flying skills.” 

“Commercial or military?” The engines roared outside and she felt herself leaning back as the plane made contact with the ground.

“Commercial. Only airline I flew for still in operation is American.” He let out a breath as they went down the runway. “I retired from flying and went to teaching instead after a few too many flights I'd swapped a shift with never reached their destinations.” He took a breath. “Felt I better stick with simulators instead of actual seven-forty-sevens.” 

She nodded. “Makes sense.” The plane slowed and turned towards the terminal. “It's green here. I've missed green.” 

He nodded, “I was in Chicago for only four days. I don't know how the natives stand five months of winter.”

“It's not so bad, once the frigid time is over.” She dug her phone from her bag. “Sort of like how the warm weather is bearable here except for the stretch of weeks between July and August when it's ungodly hot.” She huffed a sigh. “Snow's now an annoyance, more than anything.” 

“I'll take your word for it.” He took out his own phone as the intercom crackled again.

“Welcome to Houston. On behalf the crew, I'd like to thank you for flying Continental. If this is your final destination, the baggage claim information will be posted outside of the gate. If you're continuing on, you can find your connecting flight on the boards in the terminal. It is now safe to use your electronic devices, but for your safety and that of your fellow passengers, we ask you remain seated until we have reached the gate.” A pause. “Please be careful opening the overhead bins as contents will have undoubtedly shifted during our bout of turbulence passing over Missouri.” 

Rey started laughing as she turned on her phone, scrolling through her messages, she had three. 

_You want me to tag you when I change planes in Atlanta? I should be there by 1 (our time). Already had to shove someone who asked me where my green was since it's St. Patrick's Day. Do I look Irish? Besides, the actual saint was Welsh. I'm definitely not Welsh either._

She chuckled at Rose's text, then moved onto Ben's.

_Boss on warpath over mysterious green bug (St. Patrick's Day) which has infected most of the staff. Last year's designs are 100% off and everything must go. I've been 'gifted' with about 30 different garments so far. I'll let you and Rose sort though the ladies wear when you get back. Love you!_

“Can't wait to see what size you think the two of us are.” The plane stopped and she looked up as the passengers all over started to stand. Being all the way back in row twenty-nine, there was little reason for her to move. She looked back at her phone, pulling her backpack out from under the seat. 

_Have an awesome time in Tampa, Peanut. There's an In-N-Out in Hartsfield. Don't let Rose talk you out of it! - Finn_

She grinned and shouldered her bag. “No need to worry there.” She stuck her phone back in her bag and waited for a few more passengers to pass her row before she stood and hauled her carry-on down from the overhead bin and held it in front of her as she made her way up to the front. As she passed from the plane to the jet-way, a blast of warm air swept past her and she grinned. The weather, as far as she was concerned, was an added bonus. 

*

“I appreciate the ride home, Mr. Mitaka.” Ben shifted, trying to resist the urge to adjust the seat a little more so he could stretch out his legs another two inches.

“It's Dopheld, Ben, please.” the man gave him a smile. “I'm surprised we haven't run into each other before, given we live on the same block.”

“There's several buildings, all with dozens of residents.” He shrugged. “Besides, the weather keeps most of us in.” He covered a cough. This was by far the strangest day he'd had since November. Getting into a limo with the CEO of his place of employment and then getting into another car at the end of the day with one of the company's top designers. “I didn't even know a girl I went to grade school with lived in the same building as I do until this past January.” 

He tapped his fingers against the steering wheel as they waited at a red light. “What does she do?”

“Works at the Chanel counter at Macy's. Her husband's a pharmacist.” He looked down at his hands. 

“What did you do before you started working at First Order?” he cleared his throat. “Excuse me. Spring must be coming if my allergies are starting up.” 

“I used to make custom frames for Michael's.” The light turned green. “I worked there since I came to Chicago almost six years ago for school.” 

“De Paul, yes?” He eased the car into the parking garage across from their respective buildings. “Wonderful school.” 

“Yeah.” He smiled slightly. “Third generation to attend.” 

“I think that's lovely. One should be proud of their legacies when it comes to higher education. I've always felt too much emphasis is placed on Ivy Schools and paltry things people deem important which in all honesty, aren't.” He shrugged. “My degree isn't even in fashion design, it's in chemistry.” 

“Chemistry is important in almost any field.” He hadn't dealt with the subject since high school.

“True.” He eased the car into an empty slot and glanced to his left. “You wouldn't happen to know who owns this tank of an SUV?” 

Ben glanced over and nodded. “Gwen Phasma. Lives upstairs from me. If you're wondering why it hasn't moved lately, it's because she's down in Arizona with the Cubs.” 

“Nice place to be this time of year.” They got out and he went to the trunk, opening it. “Well, you have a good weekend.” 

He took out his messenger bag, and the two large yellow trash-bags full of clothes. “I still don't understand why Mr. Snoek wanted practically everything gone.” 

“It's his way.” He shut the trunk. “Doesn't like people dwelling on the past. Clean out for the spring, start thinking about September and Fashion Week.” He locked the car and the two of them headed down towards the exit. “He also doesn't approve of people taking off for something which is not recognized by the company to be an official holiday. There's only seven – New Year's Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas.” 

He frowned. “We get Columbus Day off?” He couldn't remember the last time he'd gotten the day off, if ever.

“With the exception of Christmas, the other five holidays are something which all Americans should do well to remember. The good and the bad. Although I tend to believe Columbus Day is so we can have a three-day weekend to recover from Fashion Week.” They headed out into the chilly March afternoon, and he turned north, to the building which faced the one next to Ben's. “See you Monday.” 

“Sure. And thanks again for the ride.” He adjusted his grip on the bags as he crossed the street, shaking his head at the piles of snow someone had spray painted green. After emptying the mailbox, he started upstairs, leaning against the side of the elevator. He was early for once, and he frowned at the notion Rey wasn't going to be there when he opened the door. It wasn't like he'd never gotten home before her, he'd done it all the time. But knowing she wouldn't be there at all tonight – it was a little... “Get your ass together.” 

The elevator lurched to a stop and he hauled the bags over to his door, fumbling for his phone and fired off a quick text to Nate.

_Where are you three clowns? Please tell me you ordered the pizza already._

No sooner did he get into his apartment, put the bags in his room and pick up a rather demanding Arya then there was a knock on his door. “Surprised I didn't hear them on the stairs.” He glanced out the peephole, only to find his friend's face pressed right up to it, and he rolled his eyes. “God, when did I become the mature one?” He opened the door, adjusting his hold on Arya, knowing there were three sets of hands to grab Ahsoka if she bolted out. “What's the password?”

“Yankees suck.” Jasmine offered as she, Jen, and Nate came inside. “Or did you guys start liking them after I went to North Carolina?” 

“To quote _Clueless_ , 'As if.'” Jen snickered, giving Ben a hug. “How are you?”

“Good.” He hugged Nate, who took Arya from him. “How were the flights?”

“Uneventful.” His friend stated, looking his cat over. “Yeah, you remember me, dust mop?” 

Jasmine rolled her eyes. “These two have not shut up since I got them from the airport, Ben.” she picked up Ahsoka, who had come to investigate the noise. “And now we're all here together, Jen, what did these two...” she indicated him and Nate, “eat to make them so damn tall?” 

Jen snickered. “Not certain, but Jordan always believed it was something they consumed or took part in at scout camp.” 

Ben ran a hand through his hair, going to the kitchen. “You guys want something to drink?” He washed his hands before filling the Keurig. 

“I'm good, thank you.” Jen had followed him into the room and was leaning against the fridge. “You look better than you did in December. Brief as our meeting was.”

“Do I?” He managed a grin as Nate leaned into the room. “What?”

“You have real coffee? Fours and her husband only drink tea and _decaf_.” he grinned as he heard the other woman made an odd noise. “I'm sure it's perfectly lovely tea...”

Jen rolled her eyes. “Nate, how did you ever find a nice girl like Meghan? Let alone get her to agree to marry you?”

“He's Nate.” Ben waved his friend towards the Keurig. “The good looking guy of the group.” 

“How long did it take you to get used to this narrow kitchen?” Jasmine was standing in the doorway. “I'm still trying to adjust. You can't make anything more complicated than an omelet and forget about serious baking.” 

He shifted on his feet. “I had a harder time sharing a bathroom.” He shrugged and stepped back into the laundry room for his friend to make his coffee. “Anyone else want something to drink? Only soda I've got is ginger ale. The Mountain Dew is for when we open the box.” 

“I'm always up for ginger ale. Fridge?” Jen asked.

“Yup. Fours, you want anything?” Ben saw her lingering in the doorway. 

“I'm good, I think.” She shrugged. “You mind if I go into the back room for a minute and catch myself up?” 

“No problem.” He waited until Nate was finished before picking a coffee pod for himself. “Don't break that mug, Rey will run all the way back from Houston to clobber you if you do.” 

“Of course three-buns Rey is a Ravenclaw.” He shook his head. “I should have known.” 

“You've met Rey?” Jen said from the fridge. “When?”

“Before BB did. Back in Houston. She worked at Chili's.” He shook his head and went into the other room.

“There's enough coincidences since Rey Kenobi turned up, Charles Dickens and Victor Hugo are secretly jealous.” Ben grinned. “At this point, I wouldn't be surprised if my cousin Liam is related to Rey's friend Finn, and her friend Rose is related to Meghan.” 

Jen closed the door, then took a glass from the hutch. “I'm going to check on Fours.” She walked out the kitchen.

“I don't we've had this much fun since our sophomore year of high school.” Nate said from the doorway. “We've only started the weekend and it seems insane.” 

“What's insane about it?” He went and crouched down to open the cabinet and pulled out the Tupperware container, setting it on the counter. “We all just sort of fell back together like sixth grade ended last August and you and Jen just happened to be in town for the weekend?” 

“Something. I think Jen's happy she finally has someone other than us to talk to.” He took a drink of coffee. “We're eating before we open the box.” 

“Absolutely. I'm actually for opening it tomorrow, after breakfast.” He retrieved his mug, tossing the used pods into the trash. “Should probably get your bag down here before then too. Lord knows, the way this night might go, you might all fall asleep down here.” 

Nate frowned, setting his hand on the red lid. “Might actually be a good idea. I think we're all overdue for some massive catch up and doing the friendship thing we haven't done since... well, since the night before we all left Buffalo.” 

*

Rey kept perfectly still in her hiding place in the Dameron's pantry as the door from the garage opened and there were two heavy thuds. 

“Mom?” Poe called, “Mom, Dad, I'm home!” 

“You two didn't speed, did you?” Shara Dameron's voice was sharp. “Or did you leave earlier than planned?”

“We couldn't sleep, Mrs. Dameron. So we left around three in the morning.” Finn offered, laughing. 

“Wash up, dinner's almost ready.” Mr. Dameron interjected. “See you brought your laundry with you.” 

“Well...” Poe remarked and the rest of the conversation was cut off by a scuffling noise and running water. “Smells good, mom. Extra garlic in the sauce?”

She had to cover her hand to keep from laughing as she heard footsteps by the door. 

“Oh, Finn, could you grab a new package of napkins from the pantry?” Mrs. Dameron asked and Rey stepped back as the light above flicked on. 

“Sure, Mrs. D,” Finn wasn't looking into the room when he opened the door. “Are they still where..” He turned and he shrieked, throwing his arms open. “Peanut!” 

“Hi!” Rey jumped forward and caught him in a hug, and he staggered back out of the pantry holding her.

“You're supposed to be in Florida!” Poe gaped. “How did...”

Finn hugged her once more before he put her down. “She surprised us!” He hugged her again, his smile still wide. “What, are you actually bummed she's here and not in Tampa?”

“Uh...” He looked away and saw his parents glowering at him. “More like angry I didn't figure it out for myself.” 

Rey rolled her eyes. “Not a good save.” She reached into the pantry and grabbed the package of napkins. “Which is why you could never make the football team.” 

“Augh, I'm wounded!” Poe fell back against the counter.

Mr. Dameron chuckled. “I've missed this. I have no idea what Poe is going to do this summer with neither Finn nor Rey here in Texas to keep him out of trouble.”

Mrs. Dameron snickered. “Dear, Rey and Finn are incapable of keeping our son out of trouble. They merely kept him out of _serious_ trouble.” 

“What a fine thing we can discuss over dinner.” Finn remarked, taking the napkins from Rey and filling the basket on the island. “I, however, want to hear about Rey's adventures in traversing winter in Chicago.” 

She folded her arms and gave her friend a look. “I do have Miss Padme's phone number, just in case the two of you get any ideas.” She chuckled and went over to give Poe a hug. “And before you ask, no, I didn't bring my coat. And I didn't forget to pack sunscreen.” She rubbed her face. “the TSA however, took it from me at security.” 

“I know where you can get more, if we don't have any here at the house you can use.” Poe ruffled her hair. “I like this short look on you. It's cute.” 

“It's adorable.” Finn added, taking the half-full package of napkins back to the pantry. 

“All right you clowns, let's dish up and eat. You three will be up all hours talking regardless, but it's time for dinner.” Mrs. Dameron handed Rey and Finn plates. “Guests first.” She grinned. “And Rey gets the corner brownie because _she_ didn't bring her dirty laundry with her.” 

“There's four corners.” Poe interjected, his eyes surprised. “Mom...”

“Don't you 'mom' me, young man.” She guided Rey over to the pot of spaghetti. “Your cut of brownie depends on what Finn tells me about your driving and grades.” 

*

“Fours, I've just got one question for you.” Ben drained the last of his ginger ale, then took another slice of the supreme pizza, setting it on his plate. 

“Shoot.” She folded her arms, smirking. 

“Where the hell did you fit the sixteen foot tall Christmas tree? Are your ceilings taller than mine, or am I just confused about how tall they are?” He laughed. “Or was it for someone else?”

Nate sniggered. “The hell with where she put it, I want to know what kind of storage space she's hiding. I've seen yours,BB, and it's stuffed.” 

Jasmine covered her face, shaking her head. “I got the wrong tree. I meant to get the twelve foot one. Fortunately, I realized it when I was trying to get into my car, not when I was trying to get it out.” 

“Here we are, eleven years later, and Fours is still bad at math.” Nate quipped, stuffing the last of his slice into his mouth.

“And you still have no tact.” She countered. “Or table manners.”

“Saint Lydia, give me strength.” Jen rested her head on the table. 

“Saint Lydia's the patron saint of dyers, what does she have to do with anything?” Jasmine asked, picking up a fallen black olive off of her plate and eating it.

“Not a great deal of dyers around anymore.” Jen lifted her head so she was resting her chin on the table. “Comparatively speaking, she's a saint who likely has a lot of time on her hands.” 

“Yeah, when she's not chasing Jane Austen around for giving her name to one of the most vapid fictional characters to ever grace a page.” Ben shot back, grinning. “Besides, Nate's one to talk, considering he once forgot to pack bug spray for camp.” He shook his head. “Fours probably was recovering from making Thanksgiving dinner in her narrow kitchen. She might have bumped her head at one point and was still recovering when she asked for tree forty, instead of the right one, which was forty-two.”

“You can remember the tree numbers?” Nate shook his head, helping himself to another slice. “How?”

“They never change and I worked at the store for almost six years.” He snickered and picked up his new slice of pizza. “But you haven't answered where you found the storage space, Jasmine.”

“It's in the closet of the second bedroom, along with all the other seasonal things.” She shrugged. “Reminds me, I need to get the vacuum seal bags out and put the winter clothes up soon. The reason Greg and I live here in the city and not in a house is because neither of us want to mow a lawn or shovel a driveway.”

“Makes sense.” Jen picked up another slice of vegetable pizza. “I know the archbishop made an allowance for meat because it's Saint Patrick's Day, but I can't bring myself to do it.” She frowned at something and they all turned to look into the living room, where Arya and Ahsoka were watching them. “Are they all right?”

Ben chuckled. “They're not used to seeing this many people in here.” He kicked Arya's ball out from under the table towards them and it's owner ran after it. “Or they're upset there's four people and they're not the center of attention.” 

Ahsoka came over and sat down on the floor, looking from him to Jasmine. 

“Not for kitties.” She gave the cat a smile. “Sorry.” 

Arya's ball rolled up next to Ben's foot again, the owner crashing into his leg. She shook herself off and let out a loud chirp. 

Nate snickered. “Little diva.” 

Ben nudged the ball away again, and this time both cats ran after it. “You don't have one.” He picked up his pizza and took a large bite as the girls started laughing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy New Year! Hope you all had a lovely holiday. Thank you, dear readers, for sticking with this story. Join us next time when we hop aboard the Ben Solo pain train as the box is opened.


End file.
